The Obvious Choice
by SpSt
Summary: After 6th year ends, Hermione is called on to aid Snape in researching new ways to attack the Dark Lord. A story, often humourous, of the Order finally taking the initiative and plotting against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. SSHG. AU after OOTP.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1:_

Looking back, it was all Molly's fault.  
That woman was one hell of an instigator.  
Not that she knew what she had set in motion at all…

Severus Snape was _tired_. It was a constant source of irritation for him to know that while the Order members _knew_ all the work that was on his plate, not a single one ever offered him any assistance whatsoever. Teaching potions was a full-time job. It was his actual, earn-a-paycheck job; teaching, grading, patrolling, being Head of House. He knew his regular job was tiring enough. God knew, Filius complained enough for all the Heads, and that was where _his_ duties stopped. Not so Severus. He was also a full-time double agent. He also was a leading researcher and developer of Master-level potions in his non-existent spare time. Oh, and he was also an Order member and a Death Eater. Sev never really considered those to be the same thing as spying. He had to do all the things the other members of such groups did…but he had to spy too.

It was exhausting, and no one seemed to give a damn.

Bugger.

The Golden Trio was headed for London after their Sixth Year as students at Hogwarts. As the train chugged on its way, Harry and Ron had decided it would be a rather good idea to follow in the Weasley Twins' shoes. The door of their train compartment was wide open, allowing the occupants to talk cheerfully to the two compartments opposite them, all full of members of the DA.

"There is absolutely no way that she couldn't be elected. I mean who else would do it? That cow Parkinson?" Ginny replied to Harry and Ron's statements. They were of course discussing Hermione Granger and the Head Girl position to be filled the next year. The boys had decided after receiving year end congratulatory gifts from Weasley Wizard Wheezes to start a betting pool on the very same subject. Now hotly debated amongst three of the Hogwarts houses, and not only by the DA, but the majority of the school, the male portion of the Golden Trio had decided to take on the role of bookies.

"You'd be more than surprised to know how many people are putting money on Hannah Abbot. Not only is she responsible and dependable, she's surprisingly well-liked," Harry rebutted. Neville, Luna and Dean all nodded in agreement, while Ron just shook his head in negation.

"_Fis for fonney_!" he said to Harry, through an obscene amount of Chocolate Frog stuffed in his mouth.

"That's disgusting Ron. How many times have Hermione and I told you how unattractive your eating habits are? Ugh, you'd better hope she doesn't get elected and start up a charm club to teach you some manners!" Ginny said, now turned off the Pumpkin Pasty in her hand.

"Yes well, be that as it may, there are quite a few others that are being betted on now. After Seamus was caught talking to the Patils about it over lunch, it's more than the DA in it now, and not just prefects in the running…" Luna added, turning a misty-eyed gaze at her fellow DA members.

Dean glared at his friend, "My odds on Hermione were way better before you opened your big mouth, you know," he scathed.

A shadow crossed the train's narrow passageway.

"I swear, if you lot are referring to that stupid bet, _again_, I will hex you so badly at the next DA meeting that you won't be capable of either saying such rubbish, or moving your arms in order to place your bets."

Somehow, the conversation managed to end fairly quickly. Hermione Granger was nothing, if not formidable.

Someone muttered, "Brilliant, but scary" as the train chugged into King's Cross Station.

At Hogwarts, the end of the year staff meeting was about to begin. No one was more relieved to have the students leave that day than Professor Snape. He arrived in his trademark swoop, and landed in a winged arm chair, anxious to get the administrative issues over that came along with the end of term in order to get back to his marking. If there was one thing Snape was, it was efficient. He wanted to get his grades in, and enjoy the freedom of dropping one of the balls he juggled, if it was only temporary. The summer allowed him a certain amount of free-time that he utilized to work on his research, restocking the infirmary, and being able to relax.

Well, as far as a spy could relax. It was easier to spy on Death Eaters when you are visiting their houses for dinner parties and luncheons, as opposed to snatches of legilimency performed at meetings, raids and revels. Snape conjured a cup of espresso as he went over his plans for the next few weeks in his head. He was a bit early for the staff meeting, and had the time. As he thought about which potion experiments would need to be started the soonest, the Headmaster arrived.

"Ah, Severus, good to see you here. I thought I might have to send Minerva down to the dungeons to chase you up!" Albus' eyes were _twinkling_. Apparently he wasn't as crushed to see his Gryffindors depart this year as he usually was.

"After you send Sybil down last time, I hardly think I would risk being late again, Headmaster," Severus replied, rolling his eyes as he took a swallow of espresso.

"Well my boy, I've never seen you arrive to a meeting so quickly after being summoned! Let's just say I have always felt that a good Headmaster should know how to motivate his staff!" Damn that twinkling was becoming _incessant_!

"If you're trying to motivate me into a sentence to Azkaban, send her around again, Albus," came the Potion Master's reply.

At this point, the door opened, and the teachers began to file in. As they arranged themselves around the room on various chairs and couches, Albus began the meeting. Filing through standardized grading procedures, (at which he gave a sharp look at Snape), budget reviews for the end of the school year, and any last minute student issues, Albus proceeded to wind up the administration for the year. Just as Snape thought that he would soon escape his peers' company, the Headmaster added a final remark "If anyone has candidates to present for Prefects and Head Boy and Girl, the cut off date will be this Friday."

There was some muffled conversation before McGonagall stated the obvious, "Why, Hermione Granger for Head Girl of course! And I think perhaps Mister Boot for Head Boy…"

Snape's eyes flashed quickly. "Whilst I have no issue with Boot, I'd hate to see that wretched girl in the Head position!"

"Come now Severus! She's the top student in this school! What could you possibly say against her? Such grades haven't been seen in generations…and that includes yours!" McGonagall replied, showing her temperament to match her Animagus form quite well.

"I'm sorry, I was under the belief that the Head was meant to be an example to the student body! The amount of trouble that Granger gets into with her friends is not that which should be admired or put into a position that other students would emulate. Those brats have been downright dangerous the past few years. I ask, is that a model for behaviour?" Snape retorted, glaring at his colleague.

"You know she did them with the intention of helping us against Voldemort! It's not like Granger just parades around, breaking rules!" Clearly, the Transfiguration Mistress wasn't about to allow her protégé to be shunted aside in the nominations.

"She set me on fire in her first year! That was just the beginning! You _know_ those three were behind stealing ingredients and setting off firecrackers in my classroom! They're _menaces_! I absolutely refuse to see her as Head Girl. It's bad enough that she is a Prefect!"

The Headmaster cleared his throat. "Severus, you know we never found any proof to the identity of the thief, nor to the instigator of the firecracker. Suspicions aren't evidence, my friend. Now, if you two could please put aside your enmity, I'd like to wrap this meeting up!"

Snape looked around the staffroom, wishing he would get some back up, but knowing he'd get none.

Just once, he'd love for someone to side with him.

Later that evening, Snape was scribbling in his grade book when the whoosh of the Floo was heard.

"Severus are you in?" came Dumbledore's voice.

Severus looked up from his marking and answered, "Here, Albus." The Headmaster's eyes turned from looking toward the door leading to Snape's bedroom and settled on his young friend.

"Excellent! Do you have a moment for me to quickly discuss some plans with you?" the head in the fire asked politely.

"Of course. Step through," and with a waving motion he indicated for the Headmaster to take a seat on the sofa across from the fire. Snape stood up from his desk, stretched, and moved to the chair beside the sofa.

"Would you are for tea or something stronger?" he asked as he sat himself down.

"No thank-you. I'll be quick. After the grades have been submitted, and the staff starts to disperse for their annual break, what do you plan to do with yourself?" the older man inquired.

Severus sighed inwardly. Even wrapped in such a polite inquiry, he could feel that his lighter summer load was about to buckle under some new task, before he had even had the slightest taste of a freer time.

"Research, experiment, spy…the usual." _And the Headmaster well knew it!_

"How would you feel about doing some of that, on the Order's behalf?"

Suspicion arose. It was far too amicable of a query to be either real or simplistic. "In what capacity, may I ask?" Severus replied.

"Well, with the war heating up so much these last few months, and with the overt use of Dark Arts and both the obscure and the obvious of weapons by Tom, I feel that we need to develop new measures of our own. In order to successfully counter-attack in the future, we will need potions, charms and hexes that are unknown to Tom. And we all know how well…read he is. The best way to affect him would be with new attacks entirely."

Snape thought about it. It was logical, and Merlin knew, he was a rational man. He was also a bitter man. What was that quote from Matthew? Ah yes, 'No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other (obviously!) or else he will hold to the one and despise the other (bingo!)'. It was in his own interest to help Dumbledore on this one, even if it used up his 'vacation', it did aid in his eventual freedom from at least one master. The Slytherin in him approved of that. However, Salazar would never be so obvious about his acceptance.

"I understand where you are coming from sir, but let's face it; between brewing for Poppy, continuing with my extracurricular roles, and attending to my school duties, I don't know if I can really get that much done this summer. I am only one man."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, yes…well, there will of course be other Order members working on this as well. It's top priority. That's why I need you at Grimmauld Place this summer."

"_What! Headquarters all summer??? Are you MAD?_" Clearly, there was a difference between theoretically accepting to help Dumbledore, and the practical application.

"Ah yes…well with both collaboration, and the fact that a good deal or the Order will be there this summer it just seems prudent."

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. "My lab is here you old goat. If you pushed your spectacles up to your eyes instead of letting them droop down your face you might see this fact for yourself!" Clearly, the idea was getting him more and more agitated as the conversation continued.

"Well, I'm sure something could be set up at Grimmauld Place. And of course, since you have need of assistance, and the most obvious candidate is there as well, I suggest you ameliorate yourself to the idea, or it will be a long, tedious summer." With this statement the headmaster stood up and made to leave the room. As he reached the fire and threw in the Floo Powder, Snape stopped him.

"Just what do you mean by obvious candidate? I said I would help you, I never said I wanted an assistant!"

"Well, you're going to get one. You won't be able to get as much research and experimentation done if you are struggling all summer. Not to mention that valuable time would be used up in the Order meetings if you were to continue to vent to us all as to your workload. So before we even start, let's just get you an assistant."

As Dumbledore started to move into the fire, Snape called out, "Who is this 'obvious choice'?"

Dumbledore looked over his shoulder, grinned and said "Hermione Granger", before the green flames sent him back to his office.

_Author's Notes:_

Well, here it is: my first fanfic attempt. I've been a reader on the good ship HGSS for years, but have never lifted my metaphorical pen before today. I know the opening chapter is a bit unoriginal plot-wise, with Herms being selected to help Sev with his work. I wanted to be able to take it further though, and look at the development of their interaction in the summer and their last year, which so often gets glissed over in other fanfics. You know what I mean. "They had grown closer over the summer working together...blah blah blah.." I really want to write something a bit deeper, and also really focus on what they make together (aside from any eventual babies!)

So help an author out. Review. Offer come suggestions for "weapons". Hope to hear from you all soon! Oh and before I forget the 2 Masters quotation is from the Book of Matthew, 6:24.


	2. Chapter 2

_All errors belong to me, and all recognizable characters belong to JKR._

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_Chapter 2:_

_Two weeks previously…_

The Order of the Phoenix was assembled in the dining room of Number 12, Grimmauld Place on a warm, clear night in early June. Albus Dumbledore presided over various topics as members came and went with their reports. This being a somewhat informal meeting, the only people who stayed throughout were Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, and the Weasleys. Still to arrive was Severus, who was currently waiting upon his other master. Kingsley was currently presenting his most recent information from the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic…

"And not only did they manage to get away with some rare Dark Arts texts from the London library, but the three wore some sort of cloak that made them damn near impervious to common jinxes! Clearly, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been cooking up some new tricks for his followers. Our traditional avenues for capture and questioning are useless considering these latest developments."

Dumbledore took in all this information. "It would appear that Tom has not only been looking into Ministry procedure, but has taken to some experimenting of his own. This is the third raid in the past month that has gone off so successfully, with absolutely no losses on their parts, and with successful gain of the items they have been after. What patterns have the Ministry been noting in these raids, Kingsley?" he inquired.

"It would seem from the raids that You-Know-Who is gathering information of late. This latest bit at the London Library, last month's hit on the archives at the British Museum, and that raid in Sheffield at their publishing house has all suggested that he is looking into old and new texts for weapons and strategies. It would seem, sir, that the Death Eaters are spending more time on planning, and less on sloppy anti-muggle raids. I told the Minister as much this morning," the auror answered.

The seated group looked at each other. No one needed a smarter group of Death Eaters on the loose, even if muggle raids ceased in the short-term. It was then that Molly spoke up:

"Well you know the expression, 'fight fire with fire'. If we are going to win this war, we need to step up our game as well. If they are winning by knowing our weaknesses and procedures, we are just going to have to attack with new approaches as well!"

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, considering several options quickly. "We cannot strike back quickly. That must be left to the Ministry and the Aurors. No, what the order must focus on now is as Molly suggested-research and development." At this he nodded toward Molly with a smile, before he continued, "as such, I'm going to need suggestions toward future research initiatives."

The floor was open, and Remus spoke first. "Well, with my background, I'd be willing to look into hexes and counter-curses. I think that I could also convince Filius, with limited information, to give me some 'theoretical' assistance. Plus, with the students set to come here over the summer, we could probably have a hand there in research. Harry and Ron also mentioned that they would be looking forward to some further training this summer. Maybe we could overlap that with trying out some new hexes and such."

Dumbledore agreed quickly. "That also has the added benefit of having Harry well-practiced in the new spells as we work on them. He also has a knack for thinking about Defence on his feet. Ron might be able to further his strategy skills and utilize them in helping us set up traps now that we know that Tom is acquiring information. I suggest Remus that you assemble a Defensive team with the two of them. I'll talk to Alastor about joining you in this as well."

"Dumbledore, may I suggest that since we are setting up a Defence Team, we also look into creating one for Charms and one for Potions as well?" This was from Molly, who again put forward good sense.

"That's a good arrangement, to be sure. Now, who should be put on these teams? For Charms, we have to be careful, since Filius is not technically an Order member. I know that we like to pick his brain, but if we go too far, he's losing that quasi-neutrality that he has requested. If we pull him into this too far, we'll lose the ears that we have in the Goblin community."

Molly rolled her eyes. "If he would just come out with it already and state that he had Goblin blood in his veins, this wouldn't be an issue!"

"You know as well as I do that he has important reasons to keep it to himself," the Headmaster replied.

"Well, be that as it may, I volunteer to help with Charms. You know they were my specialty back at Hogwarts, and Merlin knows, I've become a Charms expert just keeping the twins in line!" Molly huffed.

"Excellent! Now, who else can we garner to this team? Tonks? You're charm-casting skills are also quite excellent! As are Miss Weasley's as well. Does that sound acceptable?" Albus asked.

"I'd be happy to lend a hand as well, Albus. There may also be complimentary Transfiguration-Charms to work on as well. I'd be happy to work with Nymphadora, Molly and Miss Weasley," Minerva threw in.

"Yes, yes. A good plan, certainly," Dumbledore replied.

"Naturally, Severus will head Potions. But who else can we put on his team? Circe knows, that man doesn't take well to collaboration!" Molly exclaimed.

"I'd recommend whatever Order member has the highest tolerance for pain!" Tonks jibed.

"Dora!" Remus warned, a low grown issuing from his throat.

"Well, we know Hermione is coming. She could handle a considerable amount of research for him." Molly contributed.

"She'd probably like that. And I'm sure she is more than capable of helping with the potions for the infirmary. That would free up some time for Severus to be able to experiment over the summer," Arthur suggested.

"A capital plan! I'd be happy to give a hand when needed as well. Alchemy does lend a bit of a background in Potions, you know," Albus said, with a small smile.

"Oh, don't be so modest Albus! We all know your background well enough! I'd say between the three of you, we'll have some great potions to use against You-Know-Who in no time. Stealing all the academics for your team…" Kingsley said, before adding, "Where do you want me to focus?"

The headmaster considered his options. "Well, I still need you to go through the information the Ministry is receiving, and direct the efforts of the Aurors as best as you can. Tonks can assist you with that as well. Aside from that, I think that I will need you to go through the Ministry library and archives, and see what we can use from some of the more ancient and rare texts. While Tom may know of some of them, he can't know of all of them. Also, I think that once you go through some of the texts, and pick out some likely things for us to try, we can look at _modifying _what we discover, in order to decrease the likeliness of Tom having a defence to our new strategies."

"So then we are all agreed to this new course of action? Assembling teams to plot new methods to fight the Death Eaters?" Minerva asked, looking around the table at the members present. They all nodded in agreement.

"Agreed. Everyone start your research, and we'll start practical applications and trails once the summer begins and everyone settles into headquarters." Dumbledore stood up, intending to adjourn the meeting. Suddenly, the dining room door opened and a dark figure entered.

"What did I miss?" Snape asked, as he sat down in a chair at the table.

The assembled members smiled to themselves. He wouldn't enjoy hearing their replies.

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I'd like to thank vandevere and notwritten for their reviews! And 55 hits in one day! YAY!

Also, anyone notice that I figured out to use a ruler bar? Haha, apparently does not like you to use asterisks to divide chapter sections. I'm sure things will smoothen out as I get the hang of updating.

Thanks to all the readers who have had a chance to read my first chapters. Please continue to read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

_JKR owns it all. Blabbity blabbity blah…_

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_Chapter 3:_

By the third week of vacation, Hermione had visited her parents, Harry had made the obligatory stop at his aunt and uncle's house, and the Weasleys had been reunited at the Burrow. For two weeks, they had all gone home to catch up, fulfill family obligations and the like before packing up to spend the summer at Grimmauld Place. As the third Sunday of vacation arrived, so too did the company at Headquarters.

"Fred! You apparated right onto my feet! Get off you git!" Ron shouted at his elder brother.

"Perhaps if they weren't so large, we wouldn't have this problem!" Fred retorted, moving off of Ron quickly.

The Weasleys were the first to arrive at Grimmauld Place that day. Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George and Ron had all apparated to the park directly across the street. Molly had stayed behind to Floo into headquarters with Ginny, who would only be taking her apparition lessons in the next school year. Ron, having passed his test the first week of the summer break, found it necessary to gloat over this fact…which may or may not have directly lead to his sister casting her favourite hex on him that very afternoon.

Soon after the family had entered the house and begun sorting themselves in for a long stay (although Charlie and Bill were just visiting), the whoosh of the Floo could be heard as Harry, Hermione and Lupin entered into the library fireplace.

Molly, ever the hostess, was the first to greet them. "Harry! Hermione! Welcome! How have you both been? Harry you look a tad peaky, have you been getting enough to eat at your uncle's house? I should hope so…and it was a rather short visit…and Hermione, don't you look well! I see that the quick trip you took with your parents to Switzerland must have agreed with you! Remus thank-you so much for picking Harry up at his aunts, and bringing them both in from Diagon Alley."

"I'm fine Mrs. Weasley, don't worry about me so much," Harry answered, as soon as his would-be mother gave them the opportunity to get in a word, edgewise.

"I'm quite well also, Mrs. Weasley. I had a lovely time with my parents and got plenty of fresh air," Hermione added.

Remus merely contributed, "There were no problems picking up Harry. He was packed and waiting by the door at the pre-arranged time. We side-along apparated to The Leaky Cauldron and met Hermione, then flooed together. No problems at all. If you would excuse me?" and he left after squeezing Harry's shoulder affectionately.

"Good, good. Well, you know where the two of you will be staying, so why don't you both settle in while I start supper? Be quick about it, there is going to be a meeting after dinner, and the Headmaster has requested that you all attend," Molly said as they moved away from the fire and into the house proper.

"_Seriously???_ But Professor Dumbledore _never_ lets up into the meetings! Wow!" Harry exclaimed in response.

Hermione looked rather pensive at the thought. "Something has to be up, or he wouldn't have asked. He's been rather adamant that we shouldn't be in the Order until after graduation. It must be important…" she broke off abruptly, deciding that it would be better to just do as Molly said and get ready for the meeting. Mrs Weasley never explained Dumbledore's requests, even when they had begged her in the past. She instinctively knew that she would get nothing else out of the matriarch. She was right.

"Be that as it may, I'm sure Dumbledore has his reasons, so why don't you go and settle in, and by the time that you are all ready, I'm sure the members will have started to arrive, and you can do all the imploring you want to try to find out." At this she gently pushed the two towards the stairs, motioning that the conversation was over.

Harry shrugged, and decided to go with the flow on this one. Pestering Molly only ever got her annoyed. They might as well do as she had asked.

* * *

Later that evening, the Order gathered in the large library. In attendance were the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, Lupin, Tonks, Shacklebolt, McGonagall, Snape, Dumbledore, Hagrid, and surprisingly; Fletcher, Figg, Doge, Diggle, Jones, and Amos Diggory. It wasn't the full Order, but it was a rather large gathering to be having at Headquarters.

The students had never seen Diggory at a meeting. Harry's eyes had widened in recognition. He immediately became fascinated with the pattern of the carpet by his feet. Hermione leaned over and squeezed his hand in understanding. Survivor's guilt had been an issue for some time with the Boy-Who-Lived. However, it made sense to see Amos here. He didn't seem like the kind of man who would sit back and do nothing after finally having the Ministry acknowledge that Voldemort had killed his son.

The vacationing students had become comfortable, but the curiosity burning in their eyes could not be denied. Some of the members were clearly amused at this, like Lupin and Tonks, while others were annoyed or vexed, like Snape.

The headmaster began to address the group, "Welcome everyone! I trust the summer is progressing well enough for all of you!" to which there were several nods and smiles before he continued; "In spite of the fact that I have never approved of students joining the Order, I have recently been led to believe that some side participation would be beneficial to our efforts. As you all know, Voldemort has been very successful of late, not only in meeting his own agenda, but has also…improvised in such a way that his Death Eaters, when confronted have not only gotten away, but have seemingly breezed through altercations too. I don't mean solely by us, but by the Ministry as well. As such, I have taken a suggestion formulated by Molly and Arthur, and have decided to assemble several groups which shall research and develop new counter-measures. If we want to finally face Tom and end this war, we need to learn some new tricks."

"Hear, hear! I say it's about time we looked into some serious strategizing!" Ron agreed, both loudly and wholeheartedly.

The headmaster's eyes twinkled, before he replied, "I'm glad to hear that you approve Mr. Weasley. Now to get down to it, as some of you know already, I have decided to establish certain teams. The first being Ministry Research and Modifications, headed by Kingsley but including also Miss Tonks, Arthur Weasley, Amos Diggory and our er, _inside sources_ at the Ministry. These members will be responsible for researching through the Ministry's archives, libraries and so forth. However, they are also responsible for using these avenues to look up modifications that may be possible to make items researched by other groups to be less, well, defendable. However, they perform the work on behalf of the other groups upon request, looking through sources to which rest of us do not have access. Try to do your own research as much as possible.

Secondly, we have the Defence team, headed by Remus, but also comprising of Misters Ronald, Charlie and Bill Weasley, as well as Harry and Alastor. They will be examining new methods of both attack and defence to hexes, curses and so forth.

The third team will be led by Professor Snape, and will look into potions that may help us all. He will be using the basement here as a lab in order to conduct both research and experimentation over the next few months, and will be assisted by both Miss Granger-"

"_What? You have got to be kidding! Snape hates us! Honestly, do you think she could spend the summer working with that GIT?_" Ron bellowed.

"Ronald Weasley! How _dare_ you question the headmaster's judgement! You will respect his decisions as well as your potions professor! Apologize THIS INSTANT!" Molly scolded, here eyes shooting a powerful glare at her youngest son.

"Well, er, I just meant that it might not be the…best arrangement for either of them..." he trailed off lamely. "Sorry Professors, I just thought that they might not be such a good team, if they spend their time disagreeing. I don't know if this is your best idea Professor Dumbledore."

"Actually it was your mother's suggestion," Albus replied, to which Snape's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And if you let me finish what I was saying earlier, you would know that I would also be lending assistance to the team, as often as I am able."

At this, the figures of Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the twins seemed to simultaneously relax. Snape couldn't help but sneer to see it all happen so quickly and unanimously amongst the student collective.

"As I was saying, the next team will look at both charms and transfiguration, to see what may be developed or modified in order to give us some clear advantages over the Death Eaters. This team, led by Molly, will also comprise of Tonks, Ginny Weasley and Minerva, with the ability to have some advice on the very rare occasion, and in limited capacity, with Filius Flitwick.

Lastly, I would like to present the reconnaissance team, who will be strategically placed throughout the wizarding community to hear of new reports and developments, as well as keeping both an ear on the ground for rumours and information, and the mindset of the wizarding population. This very important group will be working to keep us informed of what the larger community is up to; through clients and patrons of their various establishments and contacts. Led by Doge, it also comprises of Mundungus Fletcher, the Weasley twins, Bill Weasley, Arabella Figg, Dedalus Diggle, and Hestia Jones. Once the school year starts again, when necessary, the Hogwarts professors will also pass on any information garnered. This is considerably important, as it will be our main avenue for receiving information on our enemies as well as from the larger communities. We need to know of anything of note that happens in Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, London, St. Mungos and across Britain. Knowledge is power my friends, which is the entire point of our latest project.

Team leaders will arrange meeting times for both collecting information as well as for any practical or experimental requirements as needed and at their discretion. All leaders will report findings at Order meetings regularly. If there is any overlap between groups, please let me know immediately so I can monitor the projects and workload of the members. Minerva has offered to help with scheduling and administration as needed.

Lastly, I would ask that Misters Fred and George informally join the Potions and Charms teams as well as doing reconnaissance. Your particular brand of inventing may well help our efforts in several avenues. I'd also like you to formally keep track of what is being sold out of your shop, so that we can avoid having your own products potentially used against us. Any questions?" the headmaster finally finished.

All around the room, members looked at each other. It would definitely be difficult, and they were sure to all have questions, but in the mean time they would wait until the teams began meeting.

"Well then, if the students would excuse themselves from the gathering, the rest of us can finish our reports and then disband for the evening" Dumbledore said.

With a groan and some back-talk, the Trio and Ginny headed out of the library and up the stairs to discuss what had just happened.

* * *

"Bugger it all! You have to work with _Snape_? For the _entire_ summer! Geez, Hermione, I wouldn't be surprised if you never spoke to my mum again!" Ginny exclaimed as they assembled in the boys' room.

Hermione sighed. It wasn't her ideal situation, but at least she could learn something and contribute. "What do you want me to say Gin? I can't go against the Headmaster's orders, and making a fuss will only cause problems with Professor Snape before we even begin working together. It's probably best to just accept the situation as it is. And, if it makes you feel any better, remember that Professor Dumbledore said that he would be helping too."

Harry and Ron brightened up a bit at her words before Ginny burst their bubble, "With his hectic schedule, how much time do you think he will have to be here all summer? No, it's likely to be you and Snape most of the time. Good luck Mione!"

"It's _Professor Snape_. And maybe it won't be that bad, since we are out of the classroom. He can't take points or give me a detention. How bad can it be?"

Harry smiled sadly at his friend. "Occlumency wasn't a barrel of laughs you know. He can make people miserable all by himself. It's his specialty."

Hermione looked worried at Harry's words. It promised to be a long summer.

* * *

Snape was no happier down in the meeting.

_Of all the brats to be stuck with, I get the Know-It-All! Blast! Molly is asking for some serious payback when she least expects it. Well, it could be worse…I could have been stuck with Potter or shudder someone of Longbottom's capability._

As the meeting broke up, Severus shot a parting glare at Molly and Arthur for their brilliant instigating skills, and headed for the door.

"Severus, will you apparate with me back to Hogwarts? I'd like to figure out the best manner in which to begin our new project," requested Dumbledore.

_Meddlesome Old Fool!_

"Of course, headmaster." With that, the pair of professors left Grimmauld Place for their school.

"I'm glad we decided to walk. The fresh air does me good, and the sky is quite beautiful tonight," Albus said, looking up at the twinkling stars, as they moved toward the castle from the gates.

"Luckily, I am an extraordinary multi-tasker. I suggest we walk and talk, Albus, as I have several potions to get back to as soon as possible," the potions master replied.

"Ah, yes. Well, I suggest that you look over your own research and see if anything looks particularly useful to our needs. If anything stands out, and you think that we might be able to experiment and make something that may aid our cause, we'll start with them. I'd like to get Miss Granger started on research, and helping you with Poppy's supplies. If you think that she can make it, leave it to her, and take the more complex things upon yourself. Remember my boy, the more you delegate, the more research and experiments you can conduct."

At this Snape faltered in his step slightly. While he abhorred the thought of Hermione in his lab or underfoot, there was clearly an advantage to having her on his team. Granted, she was a nuisance, but she was a _capable_ nuisance. He could expand on his own projects and get much further in research and experimentation if he delegated to her the smaller tasks. And Merlin knew, the girl could research. Hogwarts hadn't seen such a swot since Severus himself.

Albus grinned slightly under his long beard, hiding it from his friend. He knew Severus well, and being the consummate Slytherin, he would come to the conclusion that Hermione could work out to be an excellent assistant. His eyes twinkled.

At times like this, it felt good to be omnipotent.­­­

* * *

As Hermione woke on Monday and looked out her window, she noted the rain trickling gently against it. She stretched and sat up. Thinking about the previous evening's developments, she began chewing on her lower lip.

_A summer of Snape. This is really not what I was expecting in the least. I know Dumbledore has his reasons, but this will be difficult to say the least! The man is intolerable! I just hope that he conducts himself with some dignity outside of Hogwarts, or this is going to more horrible than my first few weeks at Hogwarts in first year…_

"Oh it's raining outside! Looks like a day to stay in! Too bad, the boys were hoping to get a game of Quidditch in before Charlie and Bill had to leave today," Ginny said to Hermione as she rose from her bed.

"I wonder how long it will be before our team leaders get us started on our assignments?" Hermione asked.

"School has been over for three weeks, and you're already begging for more assignments and work. Honestly Hermione, do you even believe in the concept of fun?" Ginny laughingly replied.

"Of course I do! It's just that the sooner we get started, the sooner we can get rid of You-Know-Who…I hope!" Hermione said, now fully dressed and brushing her bushy mane out.

"Alright, alright. Well, let's hope that we at least get a bit of a holiday while everyone is still here together," the redhead replied.

There was a knock on the door.

"Girls, breakfast is ready! Hurry up before the boys eat it all!" Molly said, her voice muffled through the door.

"Coming!" they replied in unison.

* * *

There was a brief respite, of which the group took advantage. Ron challenged Charlie and Bill to games of chess, while Hermione, Harry and Ginny played exploding snap and gobstones.

"Gross! I got hit _again_! I think I have had enough of gobstones for one morning!" Ginny explained as she wiped her face clean of the goo that had hit her.

"Sore loser!" Harry said with a grin.

Hermione laughed and stood up from her seat. "Does anyone want a drink? I'm going to go to the kitchen and grab something."

"Hey, see when Mum is going to have lunch ready. I'm _starving_!" Ron answered, rubbing his stomach suggestively.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ronald, you'd think you hadn't eaten all the bacon this morning at breakfast!"

"I'm a growing boy! I _needed_ that bacon!"

"Right, and I need volumizing shampoo. I'll be right back." Hermione left the living room and headed for the kitchen. As she came through the door, she ran into someone _very_ tall.

"Oh, excuse me---"

"Perhaps you could watch where you are walking Miss Granger? Some of us are disinclined to be struck down by adolescents who can't pay attention to where they are going"

_Aw crap._

"Professor Snape, I apologize. I was just heading to the kitchen for a drink, when-"

"I don't really care for your excuses Miss Granger. As it happens, I was looking for you anyway, so I shall join you in the kitchen."

They sat down together at the table immediately. Hermione fidgeted as she waited for him to speak.

"Professor Dumbledore has asked that we begin as soon as possible on our project. He is hoping that by summer's end, the teams will have enough new approaches to counter these Death Eater raids, and to regain the ground we have lost over the past few months. While inconvenient on a personal level, giving up our respective vacations in order to achieve these ends is paramount in order to aid the greater good. Do you understand Miss Granger?"

"Of course, Professor. I have no real problem with working with you to help defeat You-Know-Who. It is the most important work that can be done right now, and I understand that perfectly."

"Oh really? It seemed that your compatriots disagreed last night." came the snarky reply.

"In all fairness sir, just because they are my friends doesn't mean that we agree on everything." Hermione answered, looking into his face for the first time in the conversation.

"Trouble in paradise? Perhaps this summer will be more interesting than I thought, if the Dream Team isn't getting along," he sneered.

"I beg your pardon sir, but that isn't what I said," came her sharp retort, through gritted teeth.

"Yes well, back to the main point. Dumbledore has asked that I set up the lab immediately, so for the next few days I will be coming and going with supplies. I would appreciate it if you stayed clear until I set up the table and such. After that, you can help me organize the supplies and ingredients, and then we'll get started. I will be delivering a list from Poppy on what the infirmary needs brewed. You will begin on that straight away, while I go through my private research and see where we will begin. I will also have you looking through texts conducting research on ingredients and old potions recipes to see what may be useful to us. I will bring texts from Hogwarts, but may also send you to the school library or to the London Library if required, and if Albus deems it safe." With this being said, Severus rose to his feet.

"Until tomorrow, Miss Granger."

* * *

The first few days weren't nearly as awful as Harry and Ron had surmised. Snape spent most of his time at Hogwarts packing up what was needed for the basement lab, while Hermione set up the storage cabinets. She hardly saw him.

The work benches, 2 desks, sinks and cabinets had all been installed the very first day. Hermione had done as requested and stayed clear of Snape until he was done. After that, boxes for her were sent in a constant stream through the Floo from his office to headquarters. Hermione lugged boxes and cauldrons until her arms ached. Still, she uttered no word of complaint.

Once the lab had been set up, Snape thrust a large roll of parchment at Hermione and had told her to start the medicinal potions. She was to do what she could, and if it was unfamiliar to her, or too advanced, she was to leave it for him. At first Hermione had known that she would hate to admit to either, but Snape made a comment almost as soon as she had scanned the list.

"Miss Granger, in spite of your insufferable need to prove yourself, and to never admit to _not_ knowing something; I have neither the time, nor the ingredients to waste for you to attempt what you can't handle. You've only finished six years of classes, and I don't expect you to be able to do everything. Just do what you can and don't waste my time."

It wasn't like Hermione ever really had a chance for back talk. The man spent the first week popping in and out of the lab so suddenly, that even in the middle of a discussion, when she would have made a rash retort, she never had the chance. The man was in and out of the lab so quickly, he could have apparated.

_Literally, not giving me the time of day. I suppose I should enjoy it while it lasts!_

Naturally, such behaviour of a man like Snape would not continue. He was born argumentative.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

To my readers and reviewers, especially notwritten, yapyap, and DeceptiveFates, thanks so much for sticking with me. My nervous energy waiting for Deathly Hallows is making me restless, and writing this has been a soothing distraction.

I decided to add Amos Diggory into this chapter after thinking carefully about how secondary characters may have reacted to out and out war, and the Ministry's acknowledgement of Voldemort's return.

I'd also like to point out that this story is accurate to canon only up to OOTP. I am too worried about Snape's actions in Book 6, and too distracted by what the motivation may have been (in canon) to add my own slant at this time. As such, I have decided to skip HBP, making the story AU.

Regardless of what may happen with the last book coming out today, I wanted everyone to know that instinctively, I trust Snape. I hope that he isn't a filthy traitor. I'm trying to have faith in both him and Dumbledore. I suppose the next 24 hours will tell whether or not that faith is misplaced.

Thanks for continuing to read and review. Also if anyone has some ideas or directions they'd like to point out for what sorts of Charms, Potions and Hexes I should incorporate into the "arsenal" that the Order is assembling, I'd be happy to hear.

I apologize for any typos or grammatical errors. I'm proffreading each chapter as I finish it, and I don't have a beta.

Review, won't you?


	4. Chapter 4

_The errors are mine, the canon is JKR's._

* * *

_Chapter 4:_

Hermione had been busy all morning restocking Poppy's Burn Healing Paste and Blood Replenishing Potion. The paste had the consistency of tar until the very last ingredient was added, and the stirring had made her arms ache terribly. She had just finished putting the paste into jars, and was writing the contents in her precise script, when the lab door opened and her surly Potions Master entered. He looked like death warmed over. Hermione was taken aback at his state.

"Sir…are you alright?" she asked cautiously.

"Miss Granger, could you refrain from your incessant questions this morning? I have neither the time nor the inclination for them today," came the tart reply.

For some reason, his voice lacked its usual venom. _Perhaps he is not as angry at my queries as usual? Something is definitely wrong.._

"As much as I loathe being yelled at by you, it is my duty as your assistant to ask after your health when it is clearly in jeopardy. Now please tell me what is wrong, so I can _assist_ you, which you may recall, is my job!" she said, her Gryffindor courage helping her along.

Snape glared at her. _What a pushy little nuisance! Oh, if she wanted to know, I'll tell her, and maybe that would be the end of her constant barrages of 'caring'. Assistant's duty indeed!_

"Well, after I apparated to Voldemort last night it was immediately evident that he was in a foul mood. One of his newer experiments is progressing poorly. As such, we all suffered under his hands. I personally received a few bouts of _Crucio_, followed by a swift kick to the ribs that broke at least two of them. And the fun didn't stop there! I was responsible for going on a raid with the _Lestranges_ to a muggle area. I don't even want to tell you how they amuse themselves…needless to say that it wasn't pleasant. I could give neither warning to Albus, nor could I act with any visible reluctance.

After this night of Death Eater amusement, I apparated to Hogwarts to find that I was out of bone knitting potion for my ribs, and that Poppy was away for the week, so I had no access to a healer. I'm not exactly the best of self-healers either. And let me tell you, I had some serious nausea kicking in after seeing Bellatrix and Rudolphus at play yesterday. Sleep didn't come to me at all, and before I knew it, it was time to apparate here and into your _caring, insufferable, Gryffindor _presence." He smirked. Let's see her reaction to his little 'confession'.

Initially, she was horrified. How awful for him! And yet…there seemed to be a smirk pulling at his lips. He was baiting her! Well two could play at this game.

"No sleep, eh?" she answered dryly. "Well, there is only one thing to do about that. You will have to go upstairs and kip in one of the rooms for a few hours. I have two more potions to make today. When you are finished resting, we can discuss the first stages of research you'd like me to pursue." With that she stood up and indicated that he should leave the room with a motion from her hands. "I'll see you later today, Professor."

The man did not rise up from his stood. Torn between astonishment at her audacity (she had been as meek as a child during their first two weeks together after all), and with his bone-deep exhaustion, he struggled to find his equilibrium. Yes, he wanted to rest…but how to leave the lab without losing the upper-hand, or looking weak?

"In spite of my obvious discomfort, you have no right to address me with such a tone, _Miss Granger_. I've been spying longer than you have been alive, and I know my limits. I did not come down here to brew today, but merely to see your list of stock still required from the infirmary. I will need an ingredients list from you for the next week to take to the apothecary. _I_ intend to conduct research today, not experimentation. I shall be in the library upstairs working. You on the other hand, will finish the Skele-Gro and Bruise Salve before any research will be conducted!"

He gathered up his cloak, and stood. "Good day, Miss Granger!"

_I hope the library is empty, and the couch is comfortable_, he thought as he left her in his wake.

* * *

She found him six hours later, draped across the leather couch in the library. He was sleeping deeply, one hand flung across his eyes, and the other cradling a book to his chest. _Magical Barriers and Transportation._ Interesting. The man had dozens of potential research ideas churning through his brain, all ready to be explored and experimented until they were weapons to be used in the Order's arsenal.

The fire in the grate had died down, and the library was becoming cool. She pointed her wand, and whispered a charm until merry flames licked upward and the temperature began climbing slowly. Hermione looked back at her professor. While he had been sarcastic this morning, she knew he had also been truthful. He saw and participated in horrors to maintain his cover, and he did it for people who gave him not a second glance.

The past two weeks had solidified a new thought in her mind: _Severus Snape was not who he appeared to be._ What he took for blind, terrified obedience in the lab these two weeks was more of her scientific observation of him. Yes, she loathed his temper, and hated his biases in regards to Gryffindors and Potters, but she also saw his brilliance.

Never before had she seen him brew himself. He lectured and instructed in the lab, and occasionally gave examples. But it did nothing to justify his movements in brewing himself. He was graceful, focused, and mesmerized by his work. His gestures were so fluid and beautiful; it was like a strange dance. Truly a Potions Master. She was a little in awe of him.

His display this morning had been his first foray into describing his duplicitous role. She had seen him tired and injured before, but never so worn down. And he would have normally flayed her verbally for making inquiries about his person. For some reason, he had chosen to snidely answer her instead, and that gave her pause.

She spied a cushion on a chair next to the fire. Effortlessly, she transfigured into a blanket for him. Quietly, she moved next to him, and placed the blanket over his sleeping form. Just as she was set to withdraw, a hand shot out to clasp her wrist.

"What are you doing?" Snape murmured to her, with half opened eyes.

"It's cold in here, so I fetched you a blanket. Go back to sleep." His eyes were already closing again, as his grip loosened on her wrist. She shrugged off his hand, smoothed the blanket over his shoulders, and retreated. Her thoughts plagued her as she left, still a little nervous at him catching her caring for him.

_Severus Snape was not the man he appeared to be._

* * *

He dreamed of his mother caring for him when he was a boy. Sick with fever, she whispered soothing words as she wiped his face with a cool cloth. She told him stories and kept him company. He looked into her black eyes, searching for comfort from his pain. As he reached for her hand, he saw that her eyes were no longer the same shade as his own, but a light brown, filled with friendly concern instead of his mother's worried care.

"_What are you doing here?"_ he had asked her. He saw her mouth move in reply, but couldn't hear her answer as the darkness enclosed him again.

When he woke in the library, the fire had warmed it comfortably, and he found himself covered with a soft throw blanket. The grandfather clock in the corner indicated that it was nearing dinner time. He had wasted an entire day sleeping! He swung into a sitting position, noticing the text which had dropped to the floor as he slept. He had a few ideas on how to give the Order an edge, and was eagerly researching before last night's events had caught up with him and ushered him into unconsciousness.

He sat on the couch for a moment, remembering how he had dreamed of his mother. It was reassuring and had warmed his heart…until she had turned into _Granger_. Where the hell had _that_ come from? He sighed. The unconscious was a twisted place, apparently.

He returned his thoughts again to his research. Now that he had a plan for the first few ideas, he would have Hermione begin researching after dinner. And, he planned on being very snarky. She deserved it after essentially shooing him out of the lab this morning. He smirked. He just might stay for dinner tonight to annoy her. Hmm…maybe snarky wasn't the best tack to take here…

* * *

When Hermione was summoned to dinner from the lab, she was famished. The Git had sent her to prepare two potions that were simplistic in their ingredients and measures, but time consuming in their make. Still, they were on the list, and she should not complain. It was just that the infirmary needed _so much_ of it for the school year! It was mind numbing, arm-aching work. Small wonder that Snape had set her to it. It was also payback for her cheek this morning. She knew her concern had caused her to cross a line, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that no one else looked to the spy's health. As she climbed the stairs to exit the lab she considered mentioning it to Dumbledore. Yes, she might casually add during her team meeting that Snape had been unusually tired. No, wait, she couldn't say anything then since Snape would _be there_. Ah, she'd just have to talk to Dumbledore when next she saw him.

As she entered the dining room, she saw that her 'leader' had decided to attend the evening meal. It was unheard of! Somehow…the only empty seat was beside him. She groaned inwardly. Between her actions of this morning and this afternoon, she was definitely in for it. As she took her seat, she missed the smirk that flashed briefly on his face.

_Payback indeed._

"Severus, I am so happy you could stay for once! Why Dumbledore has you running all over the place, and you could use a good meal! You are looking far too thin lately! You must take another helping. Here, here…" Molly babbled, so pleased that he had stayed for once.

"Thank you for your concern Molly. I had been researching in the library and found myself quite famished, just as you called dinner. Thank you for having me."

The students were a bit dumbfounded by the Potions Masters courtesy. Snape was taciturn by nature…why was he being so polite? Hermione's hackles rose instinctively. _He was up to something._ Over the course of the meal he was exceedingly polite; complimenting Molly's cooking, chatting about the Order and its members, and even the _weather_. Hermione felt the need to look out the window for flying pigs.

Her thoughts were confirmed when he asked her to remain at table after dinner. He inquired about the day's potions, and the infirmary's remaining needs. His calm tone did not reassure her in the least. She was becoming more and more anxious as the conversation about potions continued.

"Well, this morning when I saw-"

"Professor, I apologize for my actions both this morning and afternoon. I should not have overstepped my bounds, but I was concerned for your well-being. I hope that you know that it was only for this reason that I intruded," her guilty conscious cut in, spewing verbal vomit.

"I wasn't referring to that. And what do you mean _this afternoon_?" he gritted.

"Oh, well with the blanket and startling you when you were sleeping. I just noticed how cold it had become and thought, 'the Professor would be more comfortable if-' "

"That was you? You left the blanket?" he queried.

"Yes, of course. But you knew that when you spoke to me."

"I don't recall a conversation betwixt us."

"Ah, well you were only awake for a moment, sir. I had put a blanket over you, and you woke up and asked me what I was doing. I told you about the chill in the room and you fell right back asleep," Hermione explained.

Severus felt exposed somehow. He had been so _tired_. And the dream of his mother had lulled him into such comfort. He suddenly recalled they eyes in his dream.

"I thought I was dreaming. I apologize, Miss Granger."

"There is no need sir. The whole thing lasted about five seconds, and you did nothing improper. Falling asleep when exhausted isn't a crime you know." She was so calm, suddenly. It would seem that they were always at opposites like this. Either he was anxious or angry while she was calm, or he was intimidating her whilst his face was the epitome of calmness. Why could they never drop their guards and stop this stupid squabbling. It was getting very tiresome.

"Be that as it may, my 'nap' was not what I wanted to discuss with you. I have a potential first plan that need to be looked into. I thought that we might be able to utilize a new method of travel that is untraceable to the Ministry, and therefore to any prying eyes or Death Eater spies. Acting in a similar fashion to a floo and portkey, it would make long distance travel much easier and quicker. I have started research on an idea wherein one walks through a door or arch of some sort, and comes out at a preset point. Think of walking up to a door that would shoot you to a strategic position. We could create a link between arches that could allow Order Members to access each other, as well as prominent wizarding areas. Something like, a portgate," he outlined.

Hermione took in his words, and suddenly had an image in her head. It was something like a revolving door used at King's Cross Station, but an arch. An arch that connected at its apex, but had four smaller arches that all touched on one side to that central point. She saw herself able to walk from the Burrow to Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade in seconds. If possible to construct, the Order could assemble and react swiftly to any Death Eater threat almost immediately.

"We could design an entire network of portgates to be utilized across Britain. Arches at Hogwarts and Hogsmeade in Scotland; King's Cross Station, Diagon Alley, Headquarters, and Wizarding London in England; and across Britain at Order Member's houses. Just think of the accessibility!" she breathed, stunned by its simple brilliance.

"You will need to begin researching Floo Powder's properties, apparition, portkeying and so on. We will need to combine something along the lines of the potion that created Floo Powder with the incantation used to portkey to a set location. Once we start experimenting and I am in the lab full-time, you will be in charge of designing a portgating map system. Each 'stop' will have adjoining arches to another. Each arch must be between two to three ports of the rest in the system. It's the only way to insure immediate access to emergency areas in case of an attack," he concluded.

Hermione looked into his eyes. He had been searching her face for a reaction, and her eyes were full of admiration. He had hoped all the research would be something of a payback for encroaching on his personal space today. But her admission to caring for him in the library had distracted him. Hermione would not be angry at conducting _research_. She was a know-it-all! A walking brain! A swot's swot! He must really be tired and injured if he had forgotten her obvious Type-A personality.

* * *

Later that night, Sev was reclining in his rooms at Hogwarts, musing over the day. Truth be told, he was just thinking about his pushy assistant. That morning she had crossed a bit of a line by telling him off. But she had done so because she cared for his well-being; as illustrated by the events of the library. She listened raptly when he talked to her about potions and projects. All day she had surprised him. While he had been initially annoyed, he was coming to appreciate the fact that she at least noticed what he was going through. Everyone else took his roles for granted, but Granger never did. It was refreshing in its own way.

A knock came from the door connecting to the dungeons. Sev sighed. It was probably Albus, which meant he needed to hide his glass of whiskey.

"Enter!" he called, when ready.

A figure with twinkling eyes approached. "A fine team leader you make, laying about your rooms!" Albus teased.

"Like you don't know I've been at Grimmauld Place all day. Honestly, can't you amuse yourself for _one evening_ without tormenting me?" came Snape's reply.

"Absolutely not. The past few decades have simply washed away my will to truly bother anyone else with my meddlesome ways!"

Naturally, Snape felt the need to close his eyes and rub his temples to sooth the headache he knew was coming. The headmaster had a certain effect on him, of which he was completely aware. Torment indeed.

"Is there a point to your arrival, or should I just consider myself cursed?" Snape asked.

"Oh, I am just checking to see how the portgate theory is panning out. What progress do we have?" Albus queried.

"Well, this afternoon, I outlined it to Miss Granger and asked her to begin extensively researching it. On that note, you will need to provide authorization for her to access the library here and at the Ministry if need be. I don't think we'll need the Ministry team for this. Everyone knows Granger's appetite for scholarly pursuits. I think we could even think up a nice cover with Madam Pince that would have Miss Granger acting as her assistant for the summer or something. Then she would be expected to be here, the Ministry, and maybe even able to use the libraries at Durmstrang and Beauxbatons."

"That's an admirable idea. And I am certain the position will appeal to Miss Granger personally. I'll speak to our librarian about it this evening. As soon as the medicinal potions are finished for Poppy, Hermione could easily help in the library here."

"Yes, well, she's progressed through three-quarters of her portion of the list. I'm about half done mine. All in all, we should be wrapping things up for Poppy by late next week."

"Excellent!" the headmaster was always happy to have things go his way. "Well, since things are going so well, I shall leave you to finish brainstorming. The experiments you have been performing these past weeks...anything working?"

"I'm completing a set of trials this weekend. I'll know more after they are finished," replied Snape.

"Good, good. Well then I shall take my leave of you."

The Potions master let out a _miniscule_ sigh of relief. He was just too exhausted for Albus Hour. As the headmaster placed his hand on the door know and made to leave, he looked over at his younger friend…

"And Severus, I heard of your _charming_ behaviour at dinner this evening. You simply terrified the students. Try not to overdo it next time, hmmm?" with a swish of his robes, he vanished into the corridor.

Snape took out his whiskey and took a long swallow. Why not terrify them every now and again? All in all, it kept the little bastards on their guards.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

I had finished about half of this chapter when I had my Deathly Hallows fest. I have to say, the storyline kind of kicked my writing in the ass! I don't think I have cried more in the past 5 years than I did in the last half of that book. To say that the events were _unexpected_ would be a colossal understatement.

Where does that leave fan fiction? I'd ask everyone who reads or writes it to take the time to mourn for the end of the canon, but to revel in the fact that all our favourites, whether they survived or not, live on in our imaginations. Fan fiction proves that imitation is _indeed_ the highest form of flattery. If we didn't all love the characters JKR had created so much, we wouldn't bother at all, now would we?

To my reviewers and to those who placed me on their alerts list, I thank you. Now to the other 600-odd readers…what are you waiting for? I need you to help me take my mind off of DH so I don't wallow.

Sorry to everyone for the delay that I had with this chapter. You can see it's kind of technical stuff, with a bit of odd behaviour thrown in. I'm trying to have Sev and Herms slowly acclimatize to each other's presence, while throwing a few ideas out there for the weapons that the groups will come up with. Thanks to my reviewers for offering suggestions. I can use all the help I can get! I also apologize for the chapters being so short. I'll try to lengthen them as we continue along. Well, as soon as I get my mojo back.

As always, please review and tell me what you think of the plot thus far, or of what you may like to see in the future.

Cheers!


	5. Chapter 5

_JKRGod._

* * *

_Chapter 5:_

Hermione was thinking over her summer thus far after she woke up. Her arms were still aching from the potions she had made the day before. She was exhausted physically from the work, and emotionally from her run-ins with Snape. Today, she decided to linger in bed just a little. Her brain, however, was permanently set on _go_, even if her body was tired.

Her two weeks with her parents were blissful. It was always wonderful to see them, for however long on her breaks. Their home was in a lovely upper-middle class neighbourhood in Mayfair, London. Boarding school was the norm for many middle and upper-class British families, which always seemed strange to her friends who lived in France and the United States, who kept their children at home until their late teens. Somehow, it made coming home for the summer all the sweeter to Hermione.

As an only child, she was doted on, although never really spoiled. Her parents were level-headed and logical. They led their lives using reason instead of by emotion or gut feelings. Hermione had been raised to follow their example. No wonder Ron and Harry found her odd at times. It was never the case that her parents didn't show her affection, because they did. Hugs and kisses were frequently given, and both words of love and endearment were bestowed. Her parents were dentists. They revelled in science, and not religion or excessive emotion. Her friends went home for the summer and talked about Quidditch, the Ministry and their friends. The Grangers talked about evolution, went to museums, had Hermione take trips around Europe to expand her horizons, and tutored her in science, philosophy, and literature. She was raised with reason and affection.

However, the wizarding world was such a different place. Not only was her cool use of logic a hallmark of her difference with the other Hogwarts students (minus the Ravenclaws), but so many wizards and witches acted based on instinct and emotion (usually the Gryffindors and Slytherins). Sometimes she just wanted to yell at them to think it all out _sanely_. How many times had Harry been manipulated into danger due to his feelings? His connections with others, and his humanity set him opposite of Voldemort…two ends of a highly charged spectrum. Of course the sociopath knew how to manipulate the emotional capacity of her best friend. Snape was more than correct to tell Harry to close his mind, and reign in his emotions. Sheesh.

She rolled onto her side in bed, and looked at her alarm clock: 8:15 am. That was a bit late for her. Usually one of the Weasley's would have come up to fetch her for breakfast by 8. Meh, she could get up in a few minutes. Right now, staring at the ceiling and contemplating life was a reasonable plan of action.

Since she had come to headquarters, she had spent three days avoiding the lab set up scenario with Snape, followed by a week and a half now of brewing for the infirmary. That first week, she had read her entire seventh year potions text, and whatever she could get her hands on from the Black library that may help her with brewing for Snape. With the weekend looming before her, she could probably finish her portion of Pomfrey's list by Monday, since most were simple enough potions. After that she would be set to research…

Hermione smiled at the thought while she snuggled up under the covers. Whomever had set her on this team had given her a summer of reading and brewing for the Greater Good. What did she have to complain about, aside from the professor's snarkiness? She could handle it, especially if she kept asserting herself as she had the day before. With no house points to lose and no detentions to gain, what could he really do to _punish_ her?

Suddenly Hermione jerked out of bed. It was nearly the end of the month! Harry's birthday was on Saturday! While she had ordered him something small by owl catalogue a few weeks ago, she had intended to go to Diagon Alley to find his "big" present. After all, a wizard only came of age once. She had expected that she and her friends would be allowed to visit wizarding London at least once over the last few weeks, but with the "projects" they were each working on, the opportunity had never rose, and they had seen each other rarely.

What to do? She was usually _so prepared_. She couldn't just flake out about her best friend's birthday! She would have to talk to Mrs. Weasley and see if anything could be done about the situation. With that thought in mind, she grabbed her toiletries and headed for the shower.

* * *

When Hermione strode into the kitchen at 8:45, it was to find it mostly empty, with only Molly and Severus sitting at the table. They had been talking about something over their coffees, but desisted upon her entrance.

"Good morning Mrs. Weasley, Professor Snape. I wondered if I could have a quick word with you this morning, Mrs. Weasley?" At Molly's nod, and motion to go on, she continued, "Well, I was planning to go and get the rest of Harry's birthday gift sometime over the past few weeks, and just managed to forget about it while we've been brewing. Now, his birthday is only _two days away_ and I still haven't gone! Do you suppose that I would be able to go with one of the Order members when they head to London today or tomorrow?"

"Well, aside from the Ministry officials, I don't know of anyone heading to London. All the Order members are on assignment with Albus' project, and I can't think of who could spare the time right now," Molly answered regretfully.

Snape was surprised by the whole situation. "Are you telling me that the Know-It-All actually forgot to do something for once? Merlin, I will have to write this on my calendar!" he said dryly, his smirk appearing on his face instantly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh ha-ha. I remembered to get part of his present weeks ago. In spite of whatever presumptions you've been carrying around with you, I _am_ human!" she retorted.

Snape's eyebrows shot up. "Is that so? Well then, in this very case, the apparently human Miss Granger may consider asking her professor for assistance instead of a Weasley, especially since it is _I_ who is the head of your team."

"Voluntary assistance from you? Perhaps it is my turn to write this day down on my calendar!" came the astonished reply.

To his chagrin, he chuckled. "Touché, Miss Granger. However, I need to start bringing some materials from Hogwarts back here anyway. If you would care to do your shopping in Hogsmeade instead of Hogwarts, I could accompany you. I have some supplies to pick up from the apothecary and the post office in town."

"You would come with me? Thank you so much sir!" Hermione said, astounded at her good fortune in this instance.

"Would you mind helping me bring some texts from the library to Headquarters afterward?" he queried.

"Not at all. Especially if I get to read them!" she answered cheekily.

Molly watched the two banter with no small amount of astonishment. At dinner last night Hermione had seemed rather meek in the professor's company. Evidently her lie-in had helped her gain some backbone.

"Are you two finished? I need to know if you'll both be back by dinner, so I can make enough food," Molly prompted.

"Easily, Molly. Thank you. I'll also have my things with me for the next few weeks. If you could have Miss Weasley set the spare room to rights this morning, I'll begin staying this evening."

"You're _moving in_?" Hermione gasped.

"Indeed. The headmaster was most persistent. He worries that visiting eyes might find evidence of our plotting if I remained experimenting, and report back to the Ministry or the Dark Lord. Additionally, he wanted us to both be able to easily access the lab."

"Well, that makes perfect sense. I suppose that I should really try to make the best of things. I'll be as agreeable as possible if you will, sir."

_An olive branch from Granger? Hmm...it may be the only way to pass the next month without using an Unforgivable._

He saw Molly staring him down with a look that clearly stated "You'd better agree, or Albus will hear of this!" Sigh.

"I'm not an agreeable person. But I'll be as tolerant as possible," he conceded.

Hermione beamed at him. For Snape, this was the equivalent of offering her a friendship bracelet.

"Fabulous. When should I be ready to go to Hogsmeade?"

He couldn't resist taunting her just a little more. "I'd say now, but I need a few Granger-free minutes to collect my dignity. You look ready to braid my hair and suggest sleepovers."

Molly was forced to stifle her laughter. Hermione and Severus had clearly forgotten that she was there. Hermione was quickly discovering Severus' dry humour. While infamous to the Order members he got along with, it was but an urban myth amongst Hogwarts students. Honestly, the man wasn't as cold as his students assumed. _Bat indeed_.

Hermione, meanwhile, was fairly stunned to find that she could banter with her potions professor. Not only that, she was pretty sure her shoulders were about to start twitching with her held-in laughter. Maybe sharing a lab and doing research together wouldn't be so bad…if he could try to be tolerable, and show his humour now and again.

"While you collect yourself, I'll go get my purse. Meet at the library fireplace in 5 minutes?" she managed to gasp out.

He smirked at her. _She's going to have to adjust to my wit if she wants to reach September_.

"Agreed."

Before he could change his mind, she said goodbye to Molly, turned on her heel and left the kitchen, her sudden laughter pilling into the hallway corridor. Severus finished his coffee, pleased to have kept the upper-hand this morning. He angled a glance over at Molly, who was torn between amusement at their banter and his wit; and being generally shocked that he had allowed his student to know that he didn't have the uniform temperament that they had all assumed.

"Severus, I do believe you have shocked our Hermione with your humour!"

"Well, I suppose out of all of the students under my charge, she is one of the more tolerable given that she has some semblance of intelligence. If I was forced to deal with her 24/7 in potions professor mode, I think I would have to seriously hex her with a week. Better to let her in one the secret: I too am apparently human."

Molly's laughter followed him out of the kitchen.

* * *

They met in the library a few minutes later, Hermione having grabbed her cloak and a bag, and the professor looking as calm and dark as usual in his Victorian robes. He passed her the Floo powder, "Ladies first." She looked at him, a bit wary, before she called out for the Three Broomsticks. It was entirely too alluring to say "age before beauty". She went through the flames without looking back or commenting. Barely.

_I'm so tempted to just leave her on her own. But on the other hand, Albus would probably castrate me. Alas._

He followed closely behind her. They walked together through the establishment. At the door, Hermione hesitated. "So, do you want to prearrange a time and meeting place? Where and when Professor?" she asked.

"I recall telling you that I would accompany you. And if I recall Minerva's reports correctly, you made your friends miserable by buying them _homework planners_. Do you even know what kind of gifts they like? While I approve of anything that may make Potter miserable, since I am here I could be of some assistance. Believe it or not, I was seventeen once upon a time."

She snorted. It was easy to see what kind of seventeen year old he would have made. "I bought him a broomstick servicing kit before and he loved it! I do not buy bad presents! I was trying to _help them_ get ready for OWLS. I can't believe those two actually moaned about them to Professor McGonagall! Well, that's gratitude for you!" she huffed indignantly.

_Clearly she didn't see how funny giving an adolescent boy a broomstick servicing kit was. Quidditch lover or not, it was a funny double entendre._

"Alright Miss Super-shopper, you go ahead and decide what to get Potter, and I'll withhold my opinion unless it's truly dreadful."

"Your opinion or the gift?" she countered.

"You're getting entirely too used to verbal parrying. What ever happened to my meek, obedient student?"

_Clearly he has no idea that I set fire to his robes, stole from his stores, or goaded Harry into that firecracker disruption. Granger, don't make eye contact, don't make eye contact, don't make eye contact…._

"Um…she's on summer vacation?" Hermione suggested.

"Indeed. Where to for this most amazing of birthday presents?" he questioned.

"Perhaps Dervish and Bangs? Harry could use dark detectors of something of that nature."

"If by 'dark detectors' you mean 'things that may keep him from racing into trouble' I'm all for it. Lead on, MacDuff." Snape replied…almost like a _jest_.

Hermione started at him. He had cracked a joke! Wait…MacDuff?

"You read Shakespeare? You read _muggle literature_???" she was stunned, disbelief all over her face.

Severus sighed. "The Bard is the foremost British writer in history, muggle or not. And it's not like I'm quoting his love poems, I'm quoting a tragedy." He shook his head. _Seriously Granger, presume much? Pureblood supremist, Death Eater, muggle-hater, black-wearing, cold-hearted monster?_

"Well, your good opinion of me is more than evident," he said sarcastically.

"Oh, it's not you _personally_. It's just that so few wizards seem to know or care for muggle literature. If I was to say 'To be, or not to be? That is the question,' or 'But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun,' to even _adult_ wizards whom I know to be well-read…the reference would go right over their heads."

"Clearly, I am a more cultured wizard."

They entered the store of Hermione's choice. Dervish and Bangs carried a bit of everything. It was a very good place to start looking around. Plus, Hermione knew that Harry rarely went to any Hogsmeade shop that wasn't Quality Quidditch Supplies, Zonko's or The Three Broomsticks. The pair began browsing. As she looked at the shelves that ran up and down the aisles, Hermione found herself drawn to a strange object on a dimly lit shelf near the back of the store. It was a smoky-coloured glass, with opaque swirls in its centre, and silver gilt framing around its circular edge. A shopkeeper approached her.

"You have discerning taste to be drawn to a Foe-Pane in these dark times. But how could one so young have need of such an object?" he inquired.

"I'm looking for a gift for a friend," she answered.

"Well, for the wizard with dark enemies, or for the overly suspicious, this is an excellent choice. Are you familiar with a Foe-Glass?"

"Vaguely."

"In the true glass, one can see the shadowy shape of one's enemies, especially as they plot or move against the owner. When danger lurks, the eyes of the enemy become visible. The Pane works like the glass, with the difference being that only the face of the enemy appears, not the whole figure. And the owner must concentrate on the foe in question, as his enemies do not have the space to mill about on a small pane as they can a larger glass. Do you see the difference?" the man asked Hermione, staring at her. Clearly the idiot had no idea who he was talking to. The Weasley twins would have been able to understand the explanation without any effort, and she was Hermione Granger dammit!

"I'm sure she can grasp it, with that superior intellect of hers," a smooth voice replied over her shoulder. "It's an excellent choice for him. I'll have to count that planner incident as a fluke at this rate," Snape said to her, as she turned to face him.

"You think so?" She was looking at him with a very familiar expression. It was the same one she used on him in class when she was waiting for him to praise her efforts.

"Definitely. That boy has many enemies, and all of them are powerful wizards, as you are well aware. The fact that he could carry the Foe-Pane with him may allow him to look and see if true danger is facing him, instead of rushing into danger as he did a year and a half ago."

Hermione grimaced at the reminder of the Department of Mysteries debacle. "I told him it was a trap, you know."

"And yet he still fell for it and rushed there against the advice of Dumbledore and myself. And you followed! I'm tempted to buy your friend a Dark detector myself; it may save me worlds of trouble."

Hermione was debating between defending Harry, and acknowledging the truth of Snape's words.

"I dare you to buy Harry a Detector. If you'd wrap it in Slytherin green, I'd pay good money to see his reaction!" The image was too funny to not laugh. In her mind's eye, Harry sat, holding a present in green with a big silver bow, and a card that said "Happy Coming of Age, Love Snape" on it. She laughed out loud. Yes, she'd pay good money to see it.

"I'm glad to have amused you so much," he snarked, although without much venom. The thought was funny to him too.

Hermione looked at the sales man. "How much for the glass?"

"20 galleons."

It was steep, but she had saved her money for a nice present. No biggie.

"I'll take it. Do you gift wrap here?"

"We do. Any colours specifically?"

"Gryffindor house colours," she said, slanting a grin at her professor, who shook his head at her in disgust.

"How typical. Maybe I will get Potter a Sneakoscope. That might keep him out of trouble," Snape said.

"He already has one. Did you notice any remarkable difference about five years ago?" Hermione asked cheekily.

"The year of him rushing to the Chamber of Secrets, duelling in the halls, and speaking Parseltongue to the whole school? Can't say I did."

Hermione flushed. "The year he saved muggle-borns from being killed by a basilisk, revealed Lockhart as a fraud, saved Ginny from being possessed and destroyed Riddle's diary? Is that what you meant?"

He rolled his eyes. "Troublemakers. Well, if he already has one, then I suppose I'm off the hook."

"Oh, he is very interested in Defence. With your background, I'm sure you could think of something useful."

Hermione walked to the counter, and paid for the now-wrapped Foe-Pane. As they left the shop, she asked, "Where next?"

"Your grammar is appalling for one so well-read." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small scroll or parchment. "I have a small list of supplied to pick up at the apothecary, and then a quick stop to make at the post-office. After that, we can head to the school."

They moved together toward a shop that both secretly loved. Hermione smiled as she headed inside. She loved potions. Her companion probably had no idea. _And would never ask her about it either_. Sigh. The fact that Arithmancy, Transfiguration and Potions were her favourite classes would not mean much to him from her prerogative. She would love to do a double-mastery in Arithmancy and Potions. They appealed to her sense of science as well as her absolute joy in witnessing the beauty of true magic in action. The fact that magic had its own properties that could be used in many predictable ways, and the way that potions could combine elements and ingredients together in harmony to create something wonderful…it created a feeling in her breast, where she felt a weightless feeling of elation, combined with a glorious sense of wonder. If they defeated Voldemort, she wanted to merge her interests and use her mind to research and discover their depths. _If only this war would end…_

Severus looked over at Hermione from where he stood with newt eyes. She was deep in thought about something, and for once, her expression wasn't very readable. His curiosity piqued. His eyes subtly sought out hers, and he sneaked a peak into her mind. _She loved potions???_ And that wasn't just the matter at hand, she _longed_ to have the opportunity to really research them, and make her career deeply rooted in their study. _She never expected him to care about that either._

He slipped back out of her mind. He had been in and out so quickly. In a way, it was interesting to know that his subject had captured her intellect. In and encompassing manner…he really didn't care. Oh, it might make things easier over the summer if she was genuinely interested in what they were doing, and enjoyed working on their projects. It was hard to really acknowledge her on a personal level. Snape was far too used to seeing her as 1/3 of the Gryffindor Trio. She was the female portion of the triangle. The one with a modicum of sense. He had easily dismissed her due to her friendships ad her sorting. It would be difficult to recategorize her, even if he was so inclined. Which he was not presently.

He had filled his basket with the required ingredients. Hermione was standing at a display of scales, lightly tipping them this way and that. He walked up silently to her.

"Are you finished, Miss Granger?"

She shrieked, and dropped a set of copper scales.

"Don't sneak up like that! You scared the shit out of me!" Oh God, she was blushing. She tried to hide her red face behind her hair as she leaned to pick up the scales. _The man moves like a lethifold!_ As she straightened and returned the scales to their shelf she rounded on him, "Honestly, would it kill you _not_ pester me for five minutes?"

With his eyebrows still quirked at her use of unexpected profanity, Severus was immediately reminded of his conversation none too long ago with Dumbledore. He smirked at her (and when didn't he smirk at her?). "I'm afraid it's beyond my capacity."

"Try harder. Practice makes perfect, you know."

"So I have heard. I just need to put these on my account, and we can leave. If you're done dropping equipment, you might accompany me from here."

Her blushed resumed its place on her cheeks. "Fine".

She made to leave him in her wake with a quick exit to the…exit. Unfortunately, such a dramatic gesture was not in the cards. His swoop away from her and to the counter was masterful. Damn him. While he spoke quickly with the shopkeeper, Snape terrified him by smiling the whole time.

* * *

Their errands completed, Snape and Hermione found themselves a short while later in the dungeons. Snape had removed their bags to his office, and was finalizing his list as to what needed to be moved to Headquarters.

"I have some things to gather quickly from here, if you care to take this parchment to the library and begin locating the texts we require first for my research. I will join you as soon as I am finished."

Hermione scanned the list quickly. There were about forty texts to locate, and had an incredible range of titles with which to conduct their research. _His research indeed. Bastard._ "That's fine with me. Uh, how do I explain my presence to Madam Pince? Won't it look odd for me to be looking for books for you? Especially since she is not in the Order?"

"Yes, that would be difficult to explain. Especially if she wasn't on vacation for another week," he replied, not looking up from his own larger list of things to pack up.

She felt like an idiot. How did this always happen around him? She never felt like a fool. Only around her potions professor. One time, just one time, she'd like to have the upper hand. Just once, she would love to have him feel like he made her feel: ridiculous. She gritted her teeth, picked up her carrying back that she had brought from the Burrow, and looked up at him. "I'll be in the library."

As she was heading up to her favourite of all Hogwarts places, she was still livid. If she had thought him capable of actually laughing, she would swear that he had been trying to hold it in as she left.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

I'd say one of my biggest faults as an author is that I get caught up in dialogue and forget to set the scene, I've rewritten this chapter three times. God, I hope in doing so, I haven't undone all my proofreading!

I've had some wonderful reviews from Chapter 4 (thank you all!) I try to answer everyone's reviews, especially when they are longer than a demand for an update :P Dolphindreamer, vandevere, boolavogue, notwritten, yapyap, duj…you inspire me to work on this story and keep going, no matter how freaking hot it is outside, nor how shitty I feel from heat exhaustion, nor from being too tired from work. It's worth it all to feel like people actually enjoy reading what I write. I love reading fanfiction, I truly do. And to actually be the writer, and to feel like people are waiting to see what I am imagining up…it's a fantastic feeling!

Some excellent points were made in the reviews. For one, my chapters are short. I feel like I should stop at appropriate breaks in the story. Plus, it looks much longer in Microsoft Word! I wish they were longer too, and I am working on it. Ok? Ok! Another thing is that I tend to get lazy and narrate using 'Sev' instead of 'Severus'. It's mostly laziness, but sometimes I am just sick of the repetition of 'Snape', 'Severus', and the 'potions master'.

Did you notice the sudden (ok maybe too sudden, but after three rewrites that is how it is going to go!) change in Hermione's attitude toward Snape? I tried to establish in chapter 4 that she was realizing that Severus is not just Professor Snape, or an Order member. She is catching onto the fact that he is a person as well. She's clued in and realized that he is a complicated man; while being brilliant and motivated and scary at times, he is also human like her (as shown by falling asleep, not looking after his own health, etc). In this chapter, I wanted her to have a contrasting view of the last chapter. His humour and intelligence in Chapter 5 vs. his snarkiness and the horrors that he must see and participate in for the Death Eaters in Chapter 4. I'm hoping that these two differing sides will convince her that he is what she suspects: not the man he appears to be (a.k.a. 'Professor Snape'). Don't flame me!

Look forward to some interesting interaction at Grimmauld place between our fav characters (well, I hope it will be interesting). I'm also thinking about having Hermione conduct some 'research' of her own. Really, I'm just looking for ways to have them piss each other off.

What better way to have two people get to know each other very well in a shortened amount of time but to stick them in a confined space conducting exhausting work with little respite? Especially when both people have very domineering personalities? I'm looking forward to it. I hope you are too.

Review my readers! Review!!!


	6. Chapter 6

_If I owned the characters, do you think I would share them? Ok, well maybe I would if I was feeling benevolent. Good thing JKR is a better sharer than I am!_

* * *

_Chapter 6:_

Hermione Granger was his case study.

Snape had been acting oddly all day, his actions based on a decision he had come to after his discussion with Albus the night before and after witnessing Granger's treatment of him in the lab, then library, then at dinner the day before. Yesterday he had been almost vulnerable before her, which made him feel anxious. He didn't like looking weak at all; it was an unacceptable option for a Death Eater. Weakness would get you killed. He had been unfailingly polite last night at dinner for two reasons: to test the waters with her and see how she would react; and to fuck with Potter and Weasley's heads.

But in all seriousness, Severus had long thought that with the return of Voldemort a few years ago, there was absolutely no way in which he would survive the war. He had never expected to, and in all honesty, still accepted that his chances for freedom were a bit slim.

However, even with the Death Eaters gaining advantage over the past few months, something inside of him had woken up. It was a feeling that he hadn't felt in years. It was a grain of hope. Oh, he could never admit it to his mentor, but Albus' response to Voldemort's actions and threats had been the stuff of legend. There was a reason that the Dark Lord feared Dumbledore, and very few people saw the headmaster for the man that he really was: a decisive, vigilant leader who took the safety of his students, friends, and fellow countrymen into a whole new level of seriousness. His bumbling façade and eye twinkling belied the steely resolve that was the true Albus Dumbledore. As one of the man's two confidants (Minerva being the other, naturally), Severus had the opportunity of late to personally witness that which Tom Riddle had known since he first met the headmaster: Dumbledore was not a man you wanted to fuck with.

Severus Snape had responded to his mentor's attitude slowly, realizing after decades of working as a colleague, spy, and friend, and somehow started to believe that while things may not work out for him personally so that he would go on living and breathing; there was no way that Dumbledore would let Voldemort become victorious. The headmaster would never step aside, and would likely overcome death to keep Riddle from power. Snape found himself in a conundrum once he realized that he would be on the eventual winning side…

_If he lived, and could be a free man, what would happen to him?_

A huge part of Snape's life revolved around the spinning of lies. He had always been a loner, always been intelligent and ok, had always been snarky. But he wasn't inherently evil, not even remotely. The cold, harsh man that he had become in order to be both a Death Eater and a disciplinarian…that man had been a cover. Two decades of acting, of not doing what he wanted to do, but what he _had _to do was now placing Snape in a position where he had to decide what was real, and what was fake. Who was he really: the role, or someone entirely different?

He had a dry, sarcastic sense of humour that was probably one of his more appreciated personality traits. His fellow teachers and Order members could relax around him to a point. Up to the point where the role of Spy Severus (a.k.a. the Git) took over.

If he could be who he wanted to be…what would that be like, and how would people perceive him? He hadn't cared to really consider this in decades, after setting up the cold 'Professor Snape' façade. There was only one thing for a logical man to do.

Research.

Enter Granger.

She was probably going to fit in at one end of a spectrum. She respected all of her teachers, including him, and already knew something of his double life. Ergo, she would provide a respectable data set for his 'best case scenario'. If he could let the image of 'Professor Snape, Death Eater' go, and show her a glimpse of who he felt he really was (ahem: brilliant, and somewhat funny…perhaps slightly favouring of Slytherin, but not as unfairly as a Death Eater lapdog would have to be…) he could get an idea of how the more open-minded British Wizarding community would treat him after the war. Now, if he wanted a sample of what the _close-minded_ population would think of him, he'd have to hang out with Potter.

Because that was so likely!

So looking again at the Granger scenario…

He had been thinking for awhile about what he would do when the war was over. Albus had scolded him near the end of the last term when Severus had had a bit too much firewhiskey after a meeting, and revealed that he didn't think he would live to see a peaceful Britain. Dumbledore had told him that a will to live could make all the difference. Oddly enough for this cynical man, he had found himself pondering such an optimistic idea. Could his own intent change his fate? If he _wanted_ to live to see a new age, would that help him survive the inevitable confrontation?

He had thought long and hard these last few weeks. Brewing for the infirmary and conducting trials could be tedious, if one didn't have anything to do but stir cauldrons. Frankly, he did some of his best thinking as he stirred. He asked himself what he would want to do professionally after the war. Hogwarts had been his home since he was eleven years old. He was now in his late thirties. If he could leave, would he?

His honest answer was that he wouldn't. At least not right away. In spite of his struggle to obtain the Defence position, he did truly love potions. And he enjoyed teaching it for the most part (minus the Longbottoms of the world, naturally). If he only had teaching on his plate, and not the Death Eaters, the Order, spying, and the exhaustion of playing "Professor Snape, Git Extraordinaire", he would have the time and energy to conduct a significant amount of research as well. He loved being a staff member at Hogwarts, and he loved researching. Unless he received some seriously tempting offers from the private sector (unlikely, since he had a skull branded on his forearm), then he would stay at Hogwarts. Maybe even take on some apprentices over time, take more time to present at conferences, and maybe even write his own potions text one day.

Profession, aside, he had also thought of what he would want from his personal life. With the exception of Poppy, Minerva and Albus, he had no real close friends. They were his surrogate family. If he could be the man he wanted to be, he'd let a few more people in. He had learned that while being a Death Eater, everyone he could care for could be used as a tool against him. His three pseudo-family members were already wearing targets on their chests, and were on the Death Eater hit list, so his relationship with them had changed nothing. The best plan of action was to simply not have other close acquaintances. But, if he was free to change that, he most certainly would. There was a difference between having lonerish tendencies, and being utterly alone. He craved solitude sometimes, but he loathed the true isolation that came with his façade.

That aside, he could not bring himself to ever hope to have a family of his own.

When Albus had spoken to him about having hope for the future, and then only days later about moving his research to Grimmauld Place, followed by Granger's activities of late, Snape had decided to give the "True Severus" a run. It wasn't to say that he wasn't snarky, petty or mean. He was all those things. But the real Severus wasn't truly a cruel or depraved man. He was loyal, occasionally funny, cultured and clever. Those were some of his real characteristics that he wanted to try out, and see if there could ever be a place for a man like him if the good side won.

It also appealed to his warped sense of humour to know instinctively that this glimpse into the Inner Git would definitely throw Granger for a loop. And since she was so rarely wrong about anything, and so set in her Know-It-All nature, he really was enjoying himself on one level by going with her to Hogsmeade today.

That wasn't to say that he intended to be this nice and lenient all summer. _Hell no!_ For one thing, the girl needed to learn to be on her toes. For another, he needed to practice dropping the character he had so meticulously developed, and work on integrating his real personality with his cover. He wouldn't lie and say that he wasn't like his professor image. What he did want to accomplish in this little study was to see what he would do if he was free.

* * *

Hermione had been in the library for two hours locating the books that Professor Snape had listed. A lot of them were in the Restricted Section, as she had expected. Yet all in all, the majority were shelved amongst the stacks. It was a keen and imaginative mind that would take these titles and make a new weapon with them. Sometimes, a handful of simple elements combined together could easily vanquish a more complex form. 

She was trying to keep her mind on her task, but kept finding it returning to her professor's behaviour of late. Something was up with him. She had never seen him so…_human_? That may not even be the appropriate word for it, but nothing else seemed to suffice. He was still snarky, argumentative and sneering, but without that cruelty that sent you to the girl's loo for a quick cry between classes. Bark without bite, if you would.

Again and again, she wondered about Snape's behaviour and motivation. There was no way on earth that he would ever tell her why he was letting his guard down around her. If that was even what he was doing? _The sneaky Slytherin bastard._ Who knew what he was doing with his venomous attitude…saving it for a rainy day?

Today's outing had revealed an unknown facet of his character. He could be thoughtful (by taking her to Hogsmeade without being ordered to do so), and he could be funny (as shown by the constant barrage of snarky, yet humorous comments). Yesterday she had seen him physically weakened from his spying duties. When pressed, he had revealed that they had disturbed him psychologically as well. _And who wouldn't be sickened at the thought of Bellatrix and Rodolphus torturing muggles?_

If there was one thing Severus Snape was known for, it was his consistency. As much as one could count on the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening, they could also count on Snape being sarcastic and unfair. The new and improved Severus Snape was throwing a wrench in her preconceived notions. There just _had_ to be a simple explanation to this conundrum. Maybe he had caught the tail end of a Cheering Charm? That was logical. Or maybe someone slipped him something in his coffee. Wait, he had coffee with Molly. She wouldn't have done that, although the twins would have if they could get within ten feet of something Snape would ingest. _What_ _was the likelihood of a potions master detecting something in his drink?_ Hermione assumed it to be incredibly high. Ya, the Cheering Charm really was the easiest explanation. If Occam's Razor was good enough for all the anthropologists that her parents loved so much, it was good enough for Hermione. Still, she couldn't shake her thought from yesterday: _Severus Snape is not the man he seems to be…_

As she was perusing the Charms section for a book on Locator Spells, Hermione's eyes glimpsed a slim black book with peeling bronze lettering: _Manipulating the Memorable_ by Olivier Oublier. Her interest piqued. Memory charms? That might be something to look into…

She slid the thin volume into her bag. She'd return it before anyone would know it was missing.

Snape entered the library moments later to see Hermione double checking the list that he had made for her.

"Miss Granger, I take it that you were successful in appropriating the required texts?"

"I'm just finishing my double-check to see if I have missed anything sir. I just need a few seconds to finish," she replied, as her eyes skimmed over the lists and stacks of books. "Done."

"Excellent. I meant to be here sooner, but wound up having a rather unfortunate run in with Sybil Trelawney." He shuddered, clearly not amused.

Hermione on the other hand, was. "I feel for you sir. I'm not one to disrespect teachers, but Professor Trelawney and I have had our differences, to say the least," she said with a grin in his direction.

"Well, with Minerva and I also believing her to be a complete fraud, perhaps we'll be able to start a new club for you to promote. I hear your house elf group didn't really take off. I'm sure you'd find a group centered around ridding that irritating crone from our school to be much more popular with both students and staff."

She couldn't tell if he was jesting.

"Might I suggest Get Rid Of A Nuisance?"

G.R.O.A.N.? He _had _to be joking! Her bark of laughter turned into a hacking fit.

"Groan?" she groaned.

"Like spew was any better?"

"It wasn't _spew_; it was S-P-E-W--"

"Oh, like I care. I just can't stand our current divination professor. I personally welcomed Umbridge's intervention on this occasion. That Dumbledore rehired her has always irked me," Snape said, his eyes flashing with irritation at the thought. He was placing the books Hermione had found into a mint jar in his pocket after he shrank them down to size for easy transit.

"At least she is your colleague and not your professor. The woman has one prediction: 'I see death!' It's absurd. Divination is much too woolly of a subject in my opinion," Hermione added.

"The fact that she is my colleague is the issue. Dumbledore sicks her on me if I don't want to come to staff meetings or events. The man is sadistic, I tell you. And just how many times do you think she has told me about my eminent demise? It's been constantly looming for the better part of two decades, according to our so-called 'seer'." Snape shook his head with a grimace at the thought of his brief encounter with her today. It had been thoroughly unpleasant. She told him that his aura would brighten if he stopped wearing so much black. His dour attire was apparently affecting even his spirit. She had gone as far as suggesting _jewel tones_ before he could escape her sherry-induced fashion advice. He suspected that Dumbledore was behind the exchange.

"It looks like we are finished here. Dumbledore will be arranging things so that you will have access to the library this summer. For now, let's get our bags from my office, and a few things I left down there, then we can head back to headquarters."

She nodded her approval. She really wanted to finish her potions so she could start her research. In her off hours, she was now thinking about how to manipulate memory charms to work for the Order. Oh, she'd research alright!

They left the library together in a silence that was not uncomfortable.

* * *

Back in Snape's office, the pair was shrinking what supplies they could as they prepared to return to Grimmauld Place. A knock was heard on the open door. Severus and Hermione looked up to see the headmaster smiling at them 

"Good afternoon Severus, Miss Granger. How good to see the potions team working together so well! I thought that I would come down to the dungeons and see if the two of you had a moment to spare before returning to London. An impromptu meeting, so to speak?" His eyes were twinkling, never a good sign.

Hermione looked to the potions master, who just shrugged his shoulders. "Of course we do, headmaster," Snape replied. He ushered his guests toward his desk, where two chairs sat opposite. Hermione and Dumbledore politely took the 'guest' chairs, leaving Snape to be seated in regular place.

"Well, to begin with, I'd like to ask something of Miss Granger. Professor Snape and I have previously discussed which methods might suit best to cover your research for him without looking too suspicious. He suggested that you would soon finish brewing for Madam Pomfrey, and may have more time on your hands then. I thought that perhaps you may care to assist us in another area, allowing a cover for your presence here, at the Ministry and so forth. Are you interested?"

"Of course headmaster. I'd be happy to help however you see fit," she replied immediately.

"Why do Gryffindors always agree to things without knowing what they entail?" Snape muttered to himself.

Hermione heard him. "Didn't you just say to me a few days ago that helping the Order in whatever capacity is 'paramount in order to aid the greater good'?"

"Did you Severus? How noble and well said of you, my boy! Perhaps you have some Gryffindor leanings after all?" Dumbledore chuckled, catching Hermione's eye and giving her a conspiring grin.

"Unlikely!" Snape scoffed.

Hermione snorted softly. _Snape a Gryffindor? Hilarious!_

"Well Miss Granger, next week Madam Pince returns from visiting her sister. If you agree, I will arrange for you to be a summer assistant to her. I'm sure we can palm it off as you trying to beefen up your CV somewhat for future employment purposes or some such thing. It will permit you to Hogwarts and its library, the Ministry of Magic and its archives, as well as an opportunity to go to both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang schools near the end of the summer."

"I'd LOVE to!" Hermione exclaimed. _Visit the major European schools of magic? What an opportunity!_ Hermione was giddy at the very thought.

"Should I fetch a Calming draught?" Snape asked snidely.

"I don't believe that is necessary, Severus," the headmaster answered for Hermione, before continuing the discussion. "For my part, I done some background reading on some of the new tactics that Tom has been using. He appears to have his hands on some very ancient and rare Dark Potions grimoires. I am looking into counter-measures that the Order would be able to carry on their persons and utilize when they come into contact with Death Eaters. I'll keep you informed of my findings."

"I suspected as much about the Dark texts. I'll keep my eyes and ears out in meetings and let you know if anything turns up, especially about what texts he may be utilizing," Snape replied.

"Continue on with Poppy's potions and the portgate research. When you have some results to show, or come up with some new ideas, let me know." The headmaster stood up from his seat and looked at his young student. He had noticed a quick look in her eye, but an expression of hesitation on her face.

"Something to add, my dear? A new idea perhaps?" he queried.

Again she hesitated. "Not yet sir. It's too soon. I need to read up on the subject before I can formulate a plan of action."

"Well I look forward to hearing it. Enjoy your afternoon Severus, Hermione." the headmaster nodded to both in turn and took his leave.

Severus rounded and looked at his student. "What are you plotting in that Gryffindor brain of yours?"

"Must it always come back to house affiliation?" she countered, trying to stall.

"You're stalling, Miss Granger…"

_Damn, busted!_

"…and I can't recall you ever holding back from answering a question. Your character usually begs for the chance to make a display of your knowledge and ideas." He smirked at her, hoping he had riled her into divulging her plan. He didn't have to wait long.

"The idea only came to me this afternoon in the library. I'm not really planning anything…more along the lines of brainstorming," she hedged.

"On what subject?" he countered.

She sighed before answering, "Since you just _have _to know…memory modification."

Whatever he had been expecting, it surely wasn't this answer. "To what end? You can't expect the Dark Lord to forget his hatred of Potter or muggleborns, or his love of sadism and power."

"Of course not! Those things are too deeply rooted to his character to allow for him to truly forget them…I was thinking more along the lines of temporary, short-term memory loss, manipulation memories, that sort of thing. It's less about true memory obliviation, more about distraction techniques."

That gave him pause. "In one manner, you are correct. I was thinking of complex charms intended to cause complicated effects. Simpler charms could provide distraction which could lead to the enemy making critical errors. It is worth looking into."

Coming from Snape, he had just given her a metaphorical head-pat and hearty congratulation for fine thinking. She smiled at him from across the desk. "I'm so glad you approve. It's much harder sneaking behind your back. First, second, third and fifth year were all really difficult with you being so suspicious. You're a tricky sort, you know."

He gave her an evil grin (his grins were fairly frightening of their own accord). "There's a reason I was sorted Slytherin you know."

She laughed.

"Indeed." She was making light conversation with him, and he didn't do that very often with anyone other than Albus, Minerva and Poppy. Her smile had also gone up in wattage over the conversation. He did not smile back at her. He really wasn't ready to start beaming at people, best case scenario experiment or not. And the occasional evil grin or sneer didn't count as a friendly or humorous facial expression anyway.

"Shall we return to headquarters then?" she asked him politely, sensing that the light mood was about to shift.

"Indeed. If you could carry the bag with the shrunken equipment, as well as the purchases from this morning, than I shall be able to carry these boxes of ingredients," he indicated toward the floor where several bags lay, ready for her to claim and transport to Grimmauld Place. He proceeded to pick up a stack of boxes filled with potions ingredients; whose nature was in fact too fickle to shrink for the mere convenience of easy transportation. Ingredients were too costly to waste due to expedience or impatience.

Snape took one quick glance around his office, giving it a mental good bye until the summer ended and he returned to the castle. He ushered Hermione out into the hallway. The office door clicked shut behind them. He did not turn around to check the door or the wards, but lead Hermione out of Hogwarts and back to London, without pause.

* * *

When they arrived back at Number 12, Hermione was set upon by two figures as she walked into the entrance hall. 

"There you are! Finally! Where have you been all day? We've been waiting for you to come home all afternoon!" Ron asked impatiently as he hugged her.

"Potions errands," she replied, shuffling the bag from Dervish and Bangs out of view under her cloak.

"If you menaces wouldn't mind terribly, perhaps you would allow us to enter the house?" Snape asked in his silky, sarcastic tones, directly behind Hermione and only half in the house. They had apparated from Hogsmeade to the park across from Headquarters. Hermione disliked Floo transportation for the odd feeling, and the way soot _always_ managed to cling to her robes. Apparating was so much more efficient.

Harry rolled his eyes at Snape, but backed further into the hallway. There was no point in arguing with Snape right now. Not only did he not care to have an unpleasant row with him, but it was nearing dinner time.

"I'll just put these things away with Professor Snape, and we can talk at dinner, ok boys?" she asked, looking at the other members of the Trio.

"Mione we waited all day!" Ron whinged.

"Potions ingredients can be harmed if they aren't stored properly and quickly, which you should both know well enough. I'll see you at dinner!" she countered. She looked at Snape, who had watched the interaction between Hermione and her friends. She raised an eyebrow at him in question, and he nodded in response. They moved together to the lab without looking back at Ron and Harry.

Snape was a bit surprised at Hermione's brisk attitude with her friends. But she was correct; they did need to store everything quickly. He took the bags from her, and handed over the boxes of library books. "If you could shelve these, I would appreciate it." She nodded her consent, and headed toward the glass cabinet along the far wall. The glass was charmed so that potions, their fumes and any potential hazards wouldn't affect the books held inside. She sorted the books one by one, as Snape placed ingredients in their cupboards. They moved around the lab quietly, putting everything in its place.

When Hermione made to go through the bag of supplies, Snape smoothly tugged it from her hand, grasping her left wrist in the process. "I'll deal with this bag, Miss Granger."

She had noticed it held most of the equipment for the room, as well as the less delicate materials that could be shrunk. "There's quite a bit to go through sir. Don't you want my assistance?"

"As this bag also contains my personal items for the summer, quite frankly, I don't."

She blushed. "Sorry sir." She looked at the floor, waiting for his response.

"I'll finish up. Why don't you go and wrap up the Foe-Pane? I'll see you at dinner, and we shall continue brewing tomorrow." He needed a night off after spending the day with a _student_.

"Certainly. Until dinner then." Hermione had moved toward the door, but stopped and turned around. "I really appreciated that you took me to Hogsmeade today. You really helped me out of a bind, and were willing to offer suggestions for the gift. I appreciate that. And I also thank you for suggesting the library assistant position to Professor Dumbledore. There's nothing I would rather do, quite honestly, than spend my summer reading and researching on behalf of the Order." Hermione gave him a slow and quiet smile. He had done both things voluntarily, and that made them all the more special.

His throat tightened as he replied quietly, "You're welcome."

She turned and left the lab, leaving him alone for the first time all day. He exhaled. There was a difference between her leaving him in his Hogwarts office, and being cornered by Trelawney to her thanking him and taking her leave.

Spending so much time in a day with another person was difficult. Trying to reign in his temper and maintain some semblance of manners and humour was beyond trying. His experiment was proving to be challenging indeed. He was glad she left him here, because he needed to analyze his day and figure out if the real Severus had been initially successful. Most of all, he needed to think about whether or not the real Severus could have a future in the British wizarding world.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

I tried soooo hard to keep writing this chapter, and make it longer as per my reviewers' requests. There just seems to be times when chapter breaks become natural, and that is where I tend to quit. I ask you all, would you rather have shorter chapters, updated every few days, or would you like longer chapters every week or so?

On the topic of the last chapter, I have several notes for you all. I know it was OOC, which was both easy and hard for me to write. Easy, because I got to say the lines about hair-braiding and friendship bracelets that I thought a sarcastic yet funny Snape would have been dying to use on Hermione, If he ever decided to joke with a student, I think he would have been the sarcastically quippy type. I think if Hermione could get to a place where she wasn't as intimidated by him, she would be one of those people who would truly enjoy his dry humour. That was part of what the last chapter was about. This chapter explains why Snape decided to give her a test run with his personality. Now some of you may ask me why Hermione went along with it, instead of being too intimidated by him, etc etc. The simple answer is that I had her already questioning his façade in the last chapter. She clearly states that she is coming to realize that he is not the cold professor that he has been portraying all along.

So let's hope any flames you were thinking of sending me about my characters from Ch 5 will be carefully extinguished now:P

Also in regards to the last chapter; I apologize for some very obvious errors that I made. I'm still working with no beta, and while I try to proofread, I do get distracted. Last weekend I wasn't focusing as well on the proofing due to my pint-sized nieces and nephews who are all under the age of 5. There are three of them and one of me, so cut me a break ok?

Two biggies I realized I had made after reading the chapter view 'live view' were these:

1) Clearly, when Snape said, "If you would care to do your shopping in Hogsmeade instead of Hogwarts, I could accompany you. I have some supplies to pick up from the apothecary and the post office in town" during the discussion about present-shopping, I _meant_ for him to say 'Diagon Alley' instead of Hogwarts. Sure, there's some cool stuff to be found at the school that I would like to own, like the tiara and jewellery found in the cache in the Room of Requirement wherein Harry hides his textbook…but it would be frowned upon to take things from the school, wouldn't you say? Definitely in poor taste.

2) I opened with the disclaimer JKRGod, which somehow turned into JKRGOD during the uploading. I don't know why some symbols get dropped from the editing page to the actual final version…that's just the freaky way the web works. But I do admit that JKR rules my world, and I am indebted to her amazing talent and imagination for creating such wonderful characters!

Also, I am so sorry to all of you who are more detail-oriented in your narration than I am. I tend to focus on dialogue as opposed to adding in detail about clothes, facial expressions and settings. Mybad. If you notice me doing that excessively, say something. It is accidental you know!

My reviewers…I thank you. This being my first story, I get sooo excited to get a notice from to check the reviews. And to all those who have added my story to your favourite or alert lists, I thank you as well. It means so much to me to know that you are all waiting to see what can come next for our dear characters.

While waiting for updates, may I recommend _The Twenty _by Leyna Roundtree_, In Annulo_ by ladyofthemask_, Before the Dawn_ by snarkyroxy, _Looking for Magic (WIP!)_ by Hypnobarb, and absolutely anything by duj. I can't tell you how much these stories have made me want to write HGSS. I hope that I can do even a fraction of as well with this story as they have with theirs. If you can't see them here, check out Ashwinder or the Petulant Poetess, both wonderful SSHG sites.

Until the next bout of inspiration strikes, I hope to watch my stats column to see you reading and reviewing.

Cheers guys!


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry it took so long to update everyone! What can I say, but that RL has kicked my butt, and that I needed to plan out more of the story? Thanks for sticking with me!_

* * *

_Chapter 7:_

Severus had been up and brewing for three hours before Granger arrived in the lab on Friday morning. He was thankful for her 9 am arrival (unusually late for her); as it have given him time to strategize. The night before he had analyzed their interactions and had found her reactions to be tolerable. She had slid easily into chatting with him in the lab, and they had a fairly good time in Hogsmeade. After they had found Harry's gift, Hermione and Severus had been able to have a lively conversation about potions ingredients. Severus had bounced some of his ideas off of her, and she had responded with some of her own research. It had been an interesting afternoon.

They had worked well enough together in the school, dividing the list of things to be accomplished, and then coming back together to finish up the packing before their unexpected visit from Albus. All in all, Severus was forced to admit to the fact that she had proven to be a satisfactory assistant. And coming from him, that was a compliment of the highest order. After his evening of reflection, he had come to the conclusion that they just might make it through the summer without killing each other.

He had logically reviewed Hermione's reactions to the 'Test Case Severus' and had been moderately happy with the result. Granger made the best case scenario easy, since she was so eager to please by nature. Hmm, maybe that wasn't as accurate a conclusion as it could be. Upon further thought, he deemed her to be a fairly agreeable person generally speaking, and someone who made a further effort to get along with those that she admired or respected. She may not admire him, but Severus had always had the sense that she respected him. Whether it was for his intellect, his spying, or the simple fact that she considered teachers to automatically be above reproach, he neither knew nor cared. What did matter to him was that if he could be tolerable to her this summer, than he might just have another ally on his side when the shit inevitably hit the fan. And let's face it; he could use all the allies he could get.

When she arrived in the lab in the morning, Hermione entered with a certain amount of wariness. Her guard was up, since a tolerant Snape was rare, she had concluded that he would probably retaliate with being extra snarky today. She steeled her resolve, and approached him as he stirred the potion he was working on.

"Good morning, Professor," she said quietly.

"Good morning, Miss Granger. I trust you slept well?" he queried.

"Well enough thank you. I'm sorry I am somewhat late this morning, but Molly asked me to look over some Arithmantic equations for her charms team. It was some preliminary work that would suggest possibility of success with a new charm. She just wanted to have a rough background to present at the next Order meeting," Hermione explained.

"It's not a problem. I'm used to quiet, especially in the morning. It gives me time to think over ideas and plan for the day."

Hermione was mildly surprised. She was well aware that he wasn't a typical morning person. But it did make sense that if one wasn't much of a morning person, that they wouldn't want much company to pester them in the early hours.

"I was hoping to be down here much earlier. I wanted to get the potions all finished before Harry's party tomorrow night. That would mean brewing all day today and tomorrow." Hermione moved to her own station and began pulling out her equipment.

"Only a few days ago, I had thought that it would take us both another week to finish brewing for the stores. I had no idea that you had been putting in evening sessions brewing until I saw how many pastes and ointments had been crossed off the list over the last few days," Snape answered from his own work station, carefully adding ingredients on occasion as he continued his slow stirring.

"I thought I would utilize my time to finish the stores so that I could get to your research. Even before I knew what you were looking into specifically, I thought that I would like to get the potions done as soon as possible."

"Indeed." Severus had looked up from his cauldron as she had explained. A somewhat questioning expression was levelled at her from his dark gaze.

"That isn't to say that I don't enjoy working on the potions for Madam Pomfrey," she added defensively.

"I never implied that that was the case," he answered coolly. "I had been trying to compliment your expediency. As I said, I was surprised to find so much done over the last few days, and noticed that the quality of the potions hadn't fallen. It was a commendable effort, Miss Granger."

Her eyebrows shot up at the unexpected compliment from her professor. Hermione resisted the urge to go and look outside for any other signs of the apocalypse. She struggled to regain her composure. "Thank you, sir."

He inclined his head at her before returning this gaze to his potion. A slightly awkward silence fell over the lab. Hermione decided to ignore it and get down to work. She wouldn't care to appear lazy before Professor Snape.

His thoughts swirled like the potion in front of him. Severus was unsure what to say now to his student. He had tried complimenting her, and it had been moderately successful. Clearly, he had shocked her with his praise of her work.

He raised his eyes up to catch a quick look at his assistant. Hermione had set up her cauldron on a low heat fire, and began adding ingredients that she was meticulously preparing. Ah, a French-green base. This early in the brewing, it had to be for a concussion draught. It was the only potion on her list that could look like that so early on in brewing. He watched her hands move to slice the roots in front of her. She was careful, yet worked with confidence. Her technique was excellent.

He looked at his own potion, it was a deep indigo, and bubbled rather merrily in the cauldron as he slowly stirred. It was one of those rare potions where the number of stirs wasn't the thing, but rather the time one slowly stirred for. He was ten minutes into a fifteen minute session, a timer sat on the work table beside him. Severus was more then free to let his mind wander for a few minutes. He returned to the matter at hand, namely, his assistant. _Hermione Granger. _

If there was one thing that the scientist in him knew, it was that he needed more data. He had resolved earlier to not only try out his better personality on her, but to try to forge a tentative alliance. Since he was her teacher, they certainly couldn't become bosom buddies, but they could be friendly acquaintances, which his Slytherin self had realized may come in handy down the line. He'd have to loosen up around her if he was going to win her over at all.

He smiled inwardly, lest she catch him smirking. He had plans for Hermione Granger.

* * *

The morning had passed swiftly before Hermione had even realized it was gone. She had been brewing industriously, and had chatted a bit with Snape over the course of their work. She had been surprised by him yet again, as he revealed that he had a mastery in both Potions and Defence, but was also very interested in Arithmancy and Alchemy. If he had also had a strong inclination for Transfiguration, he could have been an older, male version of the academic Hermione. She was somewhat intrigued. They had conversed on several topics as the morning passed, including some colourful discourses on Dumbledore's work in alchemy. Professor Snape had shared some personal anecdotes that the Headmaster had related over the last few decades. Apparently, discovering the twelve uses for dragon's blood had involved some rather interesting mishaps for Dumbledore, including an occasion when he had had a 'wardrobe malfunction' that occurred when some dragon's blood mixed poorly with some very reactive agents, resulting in his clothes melting off his body in front of Nicholas Flamel. While the imagery of the story left Hermione somewhat repulsed (naked Dumbledore, shudder!), the fact that it happened at all made her professor much more human. And with such an august audience as Nicholas Flamel! She had laughed quite a bit, and she could have sworn she saw his lips twitching upwards at their corners. Good heavens, was that…a _smile_? Perhaps it was a _teensy _one. That or his cheek muscles spasmed on occasion?

Snape's casual mention of these anecdotes had somehow managed, over a small period of time, to let her relax. Initially on her guard, she had warmed up as she worked with him on a complicated brew. When he had noticed that it was nearing two o'clock, and heard her hungry stomach growl in protest, he was actually apologetic for keeping her past lunch without a break. She hadn't even noticed the time flying. They agreed to meet back in an hour.

For his part, Snape had had a rather agreeable morning. Nothing made him quite as chipper as poking fun at Dumbledore. Unless it was hexing a Malfoy. Or a Potter, come to think of it. Ah, those were good times. Considering his somewhat jovial mood, Severus decided to embrace his current temperament, as a rather comical idea struck him. Figuring that he had just enough time to grab a quick bite and run his errand, he hurried to get everything done before he was due back in the lab. Since no one was around as he mounted the stairs up from the lab, he allowed a _tiny_ grin to appear on his face.

Harry and Ron had placed themselves at the kitchen table with the books for their research topics. This way, once Hermione left the lab for lunch (if that Git ever released her from his clutches), they would have a chance to spend a bit of time with her. Ron had thought up the plan, and had given himself a firm pat on the back for being such a clever strategist. Harry had only deigned to give him a "good idea" in response to his stroke of brilliance. Tough crowd, he supposed.

When Hermione entered, she smiled to see them. "Are you two actually doing _work_?" she asked incredulously. Harry merely rolled his eyes at her, and then gave her a grin as he produced a plate of lunch from under one of his texts.

"Oh thanks boys! I'm famished!"

"Maybe if The Bat ever let you come up for meals, you would feel better," Ron suggested.

"Oh it wasn't him. I didn't even realize the time going by as we brewed. So, boys, how are things going? You were right last night when you said we haven't had much time together. Fill me in while I start eating," she ordered.

"Bossy boots," Ron muttered.

"Well aside from being alternately bored and busy with research, we're fairly well. Ginny isn't speaking to me since I didn't notice that she had had her haircut on Tuesday. I was going to ask for your advice yesterday, which was part of why we were waiting for you to get back with Professor Snape."

Hermione shook her head at him. When would these boys learn how to read women? Merlin, they were dense!

"You didn't notice, eh? Well, I suggest some grovelling and a pleasant gesture like flowers. Ginny's a fair sort, and doesn't go all girly under most circumstances. She probably wanted to look nice for your…um, for you, and um, she went to all that effort, and you didn't even see it.

_Phew, almost spilled the beans on the party front. Eep!_

Ron covered her faux pas. "Ya well, girls are odd that way, mate. No need to get aerated about it. I say, give her some flowers, and be done with it."

"Yes, you are clearly the guru of women at this table. Recycling what I say while alluding to the fact that you are clueless about dating isn't offering advice, Ron. Truth be told Harry, you've been neglecting Ginny for awhile. If it isn't you being manic about Quidditch, or organizing a stupid betting pool about prefects and heads, or being involved in Order business, it's Ron or me taking up your time. I think Ginny just wants some time with you without all the Weasleys and Order members being around. You should talk to Remus or Dumbledore about having sometime away from here, where you can have some privacy. They'd understand." Hermione explained, clearly the preferred Agony Aunt of the group.

Harry looked a bit guilty. He dropped his eyes back to the book in front of him, and avoided his friends' gazes.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked softly.

He hesitated, but then decided to go for it. "It's a few things really. For one, it's harder here. You're right, there is no privacy. And I feel funny holding her hand or anything with all her brothers here. You know how Fred and George get especially. At least with Quidditch we get to spend time together doing something we both like without the others getting on our case, but with everything else, they breathe down our necks."

"We don't!" Ron said indignantly.

"Yes, you do. You're the most over protective of all of them, Ronald," Hermione replied. "Go on, Harry."

He took a breath. "I think we're just about at the point where I have to put up, or shut up. I mean, it's been six months, and we're going into our last year at Hogwarts. Ginny always gets upset when we talk about graduation or our plans for the future, because she'll get left behind. Then she either gets mad and yells at me or picks a fight, or walks off."

"Of course she does. She's insecure Harry. A lot of girls throw themselves at you, because you're famous. But Ginny knows the real you, and loves you as you really are. She just worries that if you go and meet new people, you might like someone else, or meet new girls."

"Girls are so stupid sometimes. Ginny knows I love her, so she should trust me."

A shadow fell across the table. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust _them_."

_Uh oh. The temperamental girlfriend had arrived, mid-session._

Ginny stood behind her brother, with her hands on her hips, glaring at her boyfriend.

"Does this mean you are talking to me again?" Harry asked hopefully.

She continued to glare, before turning toward Hermione. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?" she asked.

"Sure, Gin. Just let me put my plate in the sink." Hermione stood up from her seat at the table and placed her dishes in the sink carefully. She smiled at the boys and added a "Thanks for lunch," before she followed her friend upstairs.

* * *

"Expect some flowers in the near future," Hermione said, as she lay on her stomach on her bed, facing Ginny in their bedroom.

Her friend sighed. "You know it isn't just that. He's pulling back from me, Hermione."

Hermione cut off this line of thought right away. "He just told me why. Not only are your brothers giving him the third degree if he so much as _looks_ in your direction, but he is getting worried because you get nervous about the future. Gin, you gotta let the insecurity go, because if you can't he is going to think you don't want a future, with _him_ in it."

Ginny gasped. "Oh my God! He does not think that!"

"His mind is beginning to get there. You need to let him know that while it makes you sad to be at Hogwarts without him, you want him in your future. Talk about what you want too, once you are done. It's only a year, and you have plenty to look forward to as well."

Ginny hadn't even considered this, and it was evident on her face. She looked up at her best friend and smiled softly. "I suppose I should do some damage control once he sends me flowers and apologizes, right?"

"Now that is the Ginny Weasley I know. The girl with a plan for her man!" Hermione laughed as Ginny swung her pillow across the room at Hermione's head.

"But seriously, never lock yourself in the lab for weeks again. We clearly all need our best girl to cank with!"

They laughed together and chatted until the lunch hour was over. Hermione agreed to go over all the last minute details of the surprise party with Gin after dinner, and make sure that everything would be ready for the event on Saturday.

* * *

When she returned to the lab that after lunch, Hermione was in remarkably good spirits. Oddly enough, Snape seemed to be in a rather…tolerant frame of mind as well. For a split second, Hermione thought she saw him smiling to himself just as she entered, before he had really noted her presence at the door. It vanished immediately, and she couldn't be sure if it had been there at all. Maybe it was an optical illusion cast by the flames under the cauldron, and the fumes rising from it…in conjunction with Snape's…face? _Well, it made more sense than him feeling jolly, that was for damn sure._

As she resumed stirring her brews, and laying out the flasks for decanting, Snape glanced up at her from behind his curtain of hair. He braced himself, and then decided to just ask her.

"Miss Granger, I need…a favour."

Hermione looked up from her potions, surprised by his words. "Oh? What kind of favour?"

"As you know, I have been conducting research for the Headmaster on finding weaknesses in the Dark Lord's forces. I have been….experimenting, since the school term ended. It's what I primarily do all summer once the castle is empty. However, this year, the Headmaster decided to take action, and form all the research teams in the Order. I have continued my work, but relocated here. I have some potions that I have been working on for some time, and the latest trials for three are set to end over the next day. The first will be tonight, and truth be told, I need assistance with it, as it is the most complex. I can't take notes, muck about with ingredients and equipment, and work on the potion simultaneously. Dumbledore often helps me, but he is unavailable after the Order meeting tonight…"

"And as your assistant, this pretty much falls into my job description." Hermione leaned back a bit on her stool in order to study him. On the one hand, she did have to help Ginny before the Order meeting. On the other, she knew Snape was probably choking on his request for help. The man _never_ asked for help. _Ever._ And she did have a responsibility to the Order and to everyone, when it came to putting the Death Eaters out of commission.

"Of course I will help you Professor. Can we work after the Order meeting? Is that acceptable? I promised Ginny that I would go over the party plans with her right after dinner, before the Order meeting."

He nodded to her in acquiescence. "The brewing for the position won't conclude until 9:30 pm. As long as Albus keeps the reports short, we should be fine. I'll mention to him that we may have to slip out early. I can't lose weeks of work because he scheduled an Order meeting at an inopportune time."

"Of course not. Well, if you need us to slip out, just give me the signal, Professor." She tapped the side of her nose with her index finger, with a smile on her face.

"Is there something wrong with your nose, Miss Granger?"

"No. I'm giving you the signal."

"How is tapping our nose a signal? And the gesture is completely unnatural. No subtlety with you Gryffindors…" he wheedled at her, stirring his potion all the while. He glanced at the time. 15 minutes. Perfect.

"The nose-tap is a long standing gesture which connotates with 'being in the know', or as a simple prearranged signal!" she cried in response to his Gryffindor barb.

"Maybe your 'nose-tap' skipped my generation." He had the audacity to smirk at her.

Oh, now she was vexed. "So, because it is obvious, because you don't know it, and because I do, clearly it must be some sort of childish, Gryffindor, muggle-born thing. Heaven forbid that Professor Snape might not be in the know to so small a gesture."

The smirk was replaced by a frown. "In Slytherin House, we take in details without looking like we do. That is why we're _subtle_. And if I was making a secret gesture so that you would know to follow my lead, I wouldn't make such a ridiculous one as yours, especially since it will be very clear to everyone at the meeting that we are leaving to work on a potion." He was rolling his eyes at her as he moved the large cauldron to a cooling station on one work table.

"Yes, I am sure whatever you would cook up in Slytherin House would be remarkably clever and subtle. Just like those cunning Slytherins, Crabbe and Goyle.

_Point Granger._

"I suppose they are remarkable examples of my house. Just like Mister Longbottom overflows with courage and has chalked up many brave deeds to his name…"

_Point Snape_.

"Perhaps if you'd stop bullying him, you'd see that he has a quiet bravery that is just as much a virtue as the courage displayed by others of our house."

_She thinks I'm a bully?_ "If you think Slytherins are the school bullies, you may care you take a trip down your house's memory lane. I think you'd be surprised by the behaviour of many. Slytherins are slighted by all of the three other houses, which make them a closed-rank to outsiders. You think that all dark wizards come from Slytherin? Perhaps you should allow your bibliophile nature to take your out of the approved _Hogwarts, A History_, version of events, and conduct some further research. My house isn't at all as it has been made out to be, you know."

"You honestly want to sit here all afternoon fighting about house history and who is the bigger bully? Are you serious?" Hermione had actually stopped working, and was standing beside him now with her hands on her hips and anger flaring from her eyes.

Severus glared right back at her. "Since you seem to have such an erroneous grasp of the school's history, I simply thought, _as your professor_, to point out that your knowledge is limited, and out and out flawed. If you would care to discuss this again after you have _researched_ your position, I'd be more than happy to listen to your apologies."

Oh, he had ruffled her feathers, alright. Hermione had an expression on her face that was very similar to her head of house's. Her lips were pressed together, and a furious expression glared out at him. Well, Minerva got that way from arguing with him too. Inwardly, he was laughing. Gryffindors were so predictable.

"For someone who has asked for a favour, you're being rather rude, Professor."

_Point Granger_.

"You agreed, and I don't grovel. I'm the team leader, you are the assistant. You're lucky I asked at all, instead of simply ordered you to give up your Friday night. You're lucky I didn't order you to skip Potter Party to help me tomorrow. I have all the authority here, Miss Granger. I suggest you get used to it." And then he smirked at her. The bastard.

_Point Snape._

"And just when you were starting to appear human. What a pity."

* * *

After dinner, Hermione and Ginny ran through their party lists, going over details, guests and food to be served. Molly had been baking when the boys were busy with their work, in order to keep things secret. All in all, it was mostly ready.

"Well, that is most of it. After the Order meeting, you can help me pick out something to wear," Ginny said to Hermione.

"Sorry Gin, I can't. Duty calls. I have to go through test potions this evening with Snape. They've been in the works for weeks and the trials conclude over the next 24 hours. I'll be cooped up in the lab from after the Order meeting until the party starts. Between trials, I'll be finishing up my own brewing so that I'll be done my work by the end of the weekend. Besides, do I look particularly fashionable to you?" she asked, grinning at the younger girl.

Ginny examined Hermione's beat up jeans and v-neck blue t-shirt, which was slightly stained with potion's ingredients. "You're a regular fashionista, Herms! Lovely accenting on your shirt here," she pointed to a green stain on the hem.

"Bollocks! It's Deflating Draught!" she exclaimed upon inspecting the shirt. "Nothing for it, when you are the Potions Assistant, I suppose!" she laughed, good-naturedly, before ripping the shirt over her head, and dropping it on her bed. She grabbed a yellow blouse from her dresser, and was pulling it over her head when she heard a footfall at the room's door, a shriek, a cough of discomfort. Unknowingly she had turned toward the sounds, and had been caught looking rather idiotic: her shirt was pulled over her face, her arms were in the air, and her bra-covered breasts were exposed. She yanked her shirt down.

"Perhaps this is a poor time to let the two of your know that the meeting is about to start, and all teams must be present for reports?" Snape asked, while trying desperately to not laugh at his assistant's ludicrous position, and rising scarlet blush. She was clearly mortified. Snape, on the other hand, was delighted to have such an obvious upper-hand.

"We'll be right down, sir!" Ginny squeaked out.

"And Professor Dumbledore has approved our early dismissal, Miss Granger, so no need for your secret gesture."

"Fantastic," she growled out.

"No need to get _shirty_ with me, I'm just the messenger. Ladies." with an incline of his head, he swooped out of the room. As soon as he was out of hearing, he proceeded to hoot with laughter at the furious expression on his assistant's face.

* * *

When the girls made it to the meeting, Hermione couldn't bear to look at Snape's face. She knew that his 'shirty' comment was only the first of many. The man would milk it til it burst. There'd be no living with him for a few days. Unfortunately, that was just what she would have to do for the foreseeable future. Rotten luck. As she scanned the room, she noticed that everyone was sitting with their teams. There were two seats remaining: one clearly meant for Ginny with her team, and on the opposite side of the room, a chair remained empty beside Snape. As he caught her look at the chair, and then himself, he smirked at her, clearly enjoying her discomfort. It was so typical. She took her seat with all the dignity she had left, which was little.

Dumbledore greeted her as she sat down, as he was just on Severus' other side. "Aren't you going to greet Miss Granger, Severus? She is a fundamental member of our trio, you know!"

"True enough. She often ends up as the researcher in a trio. Yes, I suppose I should greet her. 'Hello Kitty'!" he said with a wicked grin (which under the circumstances was completely valid).

_Oh. Holy. God._

Hermione was mortified. She was in a whole new universe of mortification. Her professor had not only seen, but had noted her Hello Kitty bra.

If she could _Avada Kedavra_ herself on the spot, she would have.

"Nick names? This is marvellous progress! And I thought you two may have a difficult time of it! I'm so pleased!" the Headmaster exclaimed.

"It's not that…" Hermione stopped herself. She would only have to explain to Dumbledore that had inadvertently flashed her potions professor. And as she looked over at him, she knew that she was well and cornered. Damned if she told, damned if she didn't. Oh, he was enjoying watching her squirm. She narrowed her eyes as she took in his nearly-gleeful expression. Two could play at that game.

"Well, you know Professor Dumbledore; the lab is a really small space to share without developing some sort of rapport. Professor Snape has taken to calling me 'Kitty' after noting the affection I have for cats, after seeing me interact with Crookshanks. I, in turn, have noted his love of cold, dark places, and have taken to referring to him as 'Budgett' after the frog, of course. Plus, they're seen as somewhat taciturn and difficult. It just seemed apt."

The headmaster was shaking with suppressed laughter. While everything Hermione had said was true, she had left out what the Budgett frog was best known for: being so ugly it was cute.

Snape was no longer laughing. He was planning payback. He had her alone in a lab filled with dangerous chemicals and ingredients after this meeting. He could make it look like an accident.

"Lovely progress you two. And with our new research, and tonight's trials, I'd say the potions team is doing rather well!" Dumbledore said with his usual enthusiasm, once he had managed to get his grin off of his face. He hadn't missed the look Severus gave Hermione. Yes, his team was doing well indeed. Dumbledore called the meeting to order right away, not giving his two colleagues time to draw further blood.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

Hey everyone! I'm back! Yaaaaaaaaay! So I've been PM'd and asked what is going on with the story since I was updating every few days and now a month has passed. So what's been going on, eh? Well, mainly, real life. I had to move twice. And I was a bridesmaid, which took up a lot of my free time, and almost all my sanity.

Then, there were the not-quite-flames to the last chapter. Did I mention that I am Canadian? That means that I will drop North American slang without realizing it. I didn't know Brits don't use "24/7". So, for this chapter, I have been using the handy dandy British Online Slang Dictionary. I figure, it's better than nothing.

I also did some planning ahead for once. I have some scenes from future chapters outlined, um, just not the immediate future stuff. I day dream out parts of the plot in the shower (where I do my best thinking), and then don't have time to type them up. Some of the comments to the last chapter really got me thinking, so I will just say yes, this story may be OOC somewhat, and yes, I won't have them speak just like Brits speak, because quite frankly, I don't know how to manage it, being a foreigner. I'll just keep chugging away, and you'll either like it or you won't. But I do hope you like it.

Next chapter: the Order meeting, wherein we see what the teams have been up to. I'm writing it as we speak, but needed to refer to some notes that are in my apartment, so you'll have to wait a few days for the next update. This seemed like a good place to break the chapter in half, so that is what we shall so.

PS: I thought up the Budgett Frog when I was googling species that live in cold dark places. I took an online personality test that match you with a frog, and I tried to answer as I thought Snape would. The result? Pure comedy!


	8. Chapter 8

_JKR may own the characters, but I own the fanfic! Ok, well, I own the plot. But if she offered to sell Snape to me, I'd buy!_

* * *

_Chapter 8: (A serious discussion on tactics)_

Dumbledore had clapped his hands together to draw everyone's attention to him as he opened the meeting. Better to have everyone paying attention to their leader than happening to look over at the other members of the potions team, who were shooting glares at each other, whilst Hermione wasn't even attempting to hide her rather smug smile at having paid back the professor's Hello Kitty comments.

"Everyone all settled in? Fantastic. Well, to open today's meeting, I thought we would first go through the teams and present progress reports, after which, the students can be excused, and regular Order business may continue."

Harry and Ron wore mutual looks of defiance. Hermione sighed. _When would they learn that they will not be introduced into the Order until graduation? The Headmaster has said so a dozen times!_

"And to start with, I think I shall begin with my own potions team. For my part, I have been looking into the new tactics that Tom has been using to blindside us. It would seem that he has in his possession some very ancient and rare Dark Potions and Hexes grimoires. From what I have found so far, he is definitely using a precursor to the Confundus Charm, which is why our teams seem to be slow on the uptake. The earlier variants were outlawed after it was noted that some of the victims never returned to their full capacities, but fell further into madness if left untreated. I am working on a counter to the Mystification hex, for that is what it is called. My research has shown that a counter charm should be said immediately, followed by treatment with a potion as soon as possible. The first step implies that the victim is returned to their senses, whilst the second would eradicate any possible damage to the brain."

A look of horror had crossed Hermione's face. In her mind she saw a woman handing her son a bubblegum wrapper, not knowing who he was in her madness. The faces around the room turned toward her, all carrying concern on their features. "Miss Granger, are you alright?" her potions professor inquired softly.

"Neville's parents…it sounds like what they suffer from!" she whispered, directed this comment to her headmaster. "Do you think that the treatment could help their state at all?"

Dumbledore was floored, but he answered honestly, "I'm unsure. Primarily, because the treatment has not been developed yet. I'm still working on pairing the charm with a potion. Secondly, they have suffered drastic damage, and it occurred over a decade ago. I can't honestly say that this would cure them. But you're right to say that if the Longbottoms suffered the Mystification Hex paired with the Cruciatus Curse, that the healers wouldn't have been able to treat it. The hex is very old, and has been outlawed for centuries. Few people would have access to the grimoires that explain it."

"But it could help them. If the charm and the potion were given to them, they might retain some of their sanity. They might even learn to recognize their son!" Hermione's gaze met Harry and Ron's. The trio knew what this breakthrough could mean to their shy friend. For some reason, she found herself looking at the potions master for support.

"Do you think the potion could help them?"

Snape was stunned that she had turned to him for corroboration. He wanted to tell her what she clearly needed to hear, but he would not lie to her. "Until we have a formula, I couldn't say for certain. But theoretically, it could help them. Undoing the damage caused by the hex could return some of their sanity, although they have years of madness and its toil to treat, as well as the effects of the Cruciatus. They might never recover their sanity Hermione, and you shouldn't hope for what may well be impossible."

His words both hurt and helped her. She would continue to hope, because that was the kind of person she was. But she would acknowledge that the chance for recovery was incredibly marginal, as her logical mind told her. "I understand, Professor. But I'll do whatever I can to help them." She looked at her team members with a fierce resolve in her eyes.

"As will we all, Miss Granger. However, until I have concluded my research and we start trials, I cannot say when we can work with the Longbottoms. For now, we can only hope to defend our own members when they are set against Tom's forces. As such, I suggest we return to our reports. Severus, would you care to continue?" the Headmaster asked, resuming his seat.

Snape did not rise to address the group, but continued from his seat. "Our potions team has continued researching several different avenues at once, while simultaneously preparing large amounts of medicinal potions for the infirmary in order to provide for upcoming conflict."

Hermione was a bit surprised. She had assumed that more accidents than she had thought occurred, and thus the Hospital Wing was in need of very large batches of potions from her and the professor. It would seem that they were also storing up against inevitable need during wartime.

Snape continued, "I have been conducting trial brews for the past few weeks, but the latest results will not be available until next week. What we have been researching in the meanwhile are means for the Order to have an edge over the Death Eaters. As you may know, Death Eaters are connected directly to the Dark Lord by way of their marks, which allows instant apparition to his side, wherever he is, in spite of however many magical barriers may surround him. The mark burns upon summoning, and then becomes like cross between a portkey and apparition. One touches the mark with their wand, and they are transported. When the mark lies quiet, it is useless for apparating to the Dark Lord.

Upon arrival, many Death Eaters are given orders and directions from the dark Lord. Their edge lies in the expediency that the mark gives them. Once they receive orders, they can usually apparate away immediately. The Order tends to be behind, because we have no manner of getting around magical barriers. There is no mark connecting us, thank Merlin. However, when given orders myself, I have no opportunity to send word to the Order, and we waste valuable time and information, delaying our response.

What I have been researching is a strategy that connects Order members to key locations around Great Britain. What I have come up with is called a portgate. The gate itself looks rather simplistic. It is a triple doorway, connected by the doors arches on the inner side of each of the three doors, rather like a muggle revolving door. Each of our main locations, being Headquarters, Hogwarts, the Burrow and so on, will receive a gate. The gate is constructed simply, but activated by painting a charmed potion onto the frame. We will also need to setup gates at strategic locations near Diagon Alley, London, Hogsmeade and so on. The point is that each of the gates will connect to one of the central locations and two of the strategic locations. Miss Granger will be presenting a sort of 'route map' to the members for memorization once the gates are set up. This should allow us to get information moved to all the Order members quickly, and below the Ministry's notice. Our response times to Death Eater attacks should rise exponentially."

The voice of pessimism rang out with a question, "If the gates are places wherever, how do we make sure not just anyone can access them?" Moody sneered at Snape.

"Because one of the ingredients for the potion is the hair of ever single Order member. The gates will only be visible to those that the gate recognizes." Snape smirked back at his old adversary. _Let him stew on that bit of information for awhile._ "Miss Granger is undertaking some of the research behind magical methods of transportation whilst I work on concocting a formula. I have a basic outline, but her research will allow me to start trials shortly. Also, she has come up with a new area for us to research, would you care to outline your preliminary thoughts, Miss Granger?"

She shot him a glare. He knew she had barely any time to research this at all. Ha, what he didn't know was that she had 'borrowed' that old text from the library and read half of it last night. "The idea is to look into new methods concerning memory charms. While Obliviate is popular at removing memories permanently, and a pensieve can be used to view extracted memories, there is a different approach I hope to take. In essence, I have begun researching methods to eradicate short term memories, or induce temporary memory loss. It is less of a curse or hex, and more along the lines of a method for distraction. If the Death Eaters can't recall their instructions from You-Know-Who, then they will be confused and disorganized. Since the Death Eaters have been striking with such coordinated execution of late, I intend to bring a certain amount of chaos to order."

Some of the Order members looked impressed with her reasoning. It was the Aurors in the corner who looked most agreeable to her suggestion. Kingsley took the lead, "You have no idea how much of an edge you would be giving the Aurors if you found a method to suitably distract the Death Eaters when we reach them. One of the greatest difficulties that we have is the fact that they react so quickly. We keep having to be more and more innovative, and stray from our regular responses in order to keep up with them during raids and attacks. I think you may have just found a way to even the playing field, Hermione!" He smiled softly, while Tonks have a very enthusiastic grin beside him.

Hermione squirmed a bit in her seat. She hadn't earned their praise yet. "It's still hypothetical. I have only just begun researching the idea. It will probably be a few weeks before we have anything more substantial than that," she said conservatively.

"With all the brain muscle on your team, I'm convinced it's a sure thing!" Bill said evenly, grinning over at Hermione.

"Yes, well, be that as it may, our team is caught up in several projects at once. We should have more to report after this weekend's trail potions have been tested," Snape interjected smoothly.

"And just what kind of nasty mixtures have you been brewing down in your dungeons, Snape?" Moody queried suspiciously.

"Nothing you need to know about at the present," Dumbledore replied sharply.

Snape have a smug 'there you have it' smile to Moody, who continued to glare at him with one normal and one magical eye.

"And next, what does the Ministry team have to report to us, Kingsley?" the Headmaster asked.

"Some troublesome news to be sure, which now makes a bit more sense, since your earlier report, Headmaster. This past week, I had the Aurors looking into what went missing during the raids on the archives and libraries from a few months ago. As it had stood, there was some paper pushing with preliminary results, but it was never finished and sent to my office. We have since discovered that the Death Eaters got their hands on a very old set of grimoires, written about 800-1000 years ago, as well as rather ancient set of scrolls. The grimoires were taken out of a raid on a Dark household about a hundred years ago, and were written specifically about Dark hexes and curses. The most disturbing element was that the last Ministry members who had handled them were none other than the Lestrange brothers, about eighteen or nineteen years ago."

Gasps were heard around the room, and Hermione's suspicions seemed to be confirmed. "They already knew these hexes, years ago! And they haven't been using them because they were in Azkaban! It all makes sense…" she breathed.

"So it would seem, Miss Granger. Continue on Kingsley," Dumbledore replied.

"To top it all off, the scrolls contain information on outlawed and forbidden ancient magic. The scrolls are said to be quite ancient, and directly illustrated the magic that was being forbidden. This was during the fall of the Roman Empire, and let's face it; they allowed some pretty wild and dark magic. For it to be outlawed, it would have to be incredibly dark, or against the state's best interests. Either way, You-Know-Who would be having a pretty great time with this information. We need to be seriously on our guards, because he is cooking up something huge."

Worried looks were exchanged between Order members. Molly looked pretty enraged at having the students in the room when this kind of information was being reported.

Here, Arthur began his portion of the report. "Above and beyond all of this alarming news is a bit of a throwback to old Order business. It would seem that someone has been snooping around the Department of Mysteries again. And I can assure you, it wasn't us!"

Snape's head snapped up. "I have heard nothing about this at all. It's either a rogue mission, or the Dark Lord is playing it very close to his vest."

"We wouldn't even know about it if Kingsley and Tonks hadn't been coming into the building a few days ago after a job, and came in through a side entrance. They were heading to meet some other Aurors in a different part of the building than normal, just to get new marching orders, when they overheard two Unspeakables discussing it. Apparently no clues, no leads were left behind, just the slight disarray of parchment and a few projects."

"They're doing the same thing that we are, looking into new avenues for attack, looking for potential weaknesses, and new magical developments," Snape pointed out.

"Of course. Well, given his new attitude, I am not at all surprised at what Tom is doing. We need to try to get a few steps ahead of him, and stay that way. We need to know what in the Department of Mysteries caught his attention, because it may be useful to us as well. I think this may be a joint project between Teams 1 and 2. Remus, if you get information from Kingsley's team, turn your attention to it right away. It could be the next method for attack, and we'll want to have counter measures available." Dumbledore outlined. Said teams nodded in agreement of the plan. "If that's everything from the Ministry, then let's move to Defence," the headmaster said, turning the floor over to Remus Lupin.

"Our team is currently looking into the Death Eater anti-jinx cloak. Moody and I have narrowed down the charms being used to three; which when combined, act almost as an anti-jinx or Protego effect. I'm looking into creating a new garment myself which will act in the same way, with Ron and Harry doing a lot of the leg work for me, So far, our clothes hold off a few minor hexes, but it's a step in the right direction. Our team is conducting trials and variations of the charms, and we're accessing archives as much as we can for more information," Remus shared, then turned toward Harry and nodded.

"One thing we have worked out so far is a counter to the Spinal Snap jinx, which causes paralysis until rather painful medical treatment is received. The wand movement is to trail the tip along the spine from top to bottom slowly, followed by the rune for healing and protection," Harry demonstrated with a grin.

"On a side note, it's also great for helping back pain!" Ron proclaimed rather loudly. The collective group chuckled and smiled at the Defence team's work.

"Anyway, we'll teach the wand movement in the next general meeting, and to Hogwarts staff for the school year, since this nasty jinx seems to be rather en vogue at the moment," Remus continued.

"Moving right along, it has also come to our attention that some Death Eaters are also using rudimentary legilimency on us. The upper hand that this is giving them over the Aurors and Order alike is enough to put us in a position where we need to teach our members at least rudimentary Occlumency…" Moody was cut off by Snape's groan. He apparently felt that the task of training the entire Order in Occlumency was about to fall to him.

Dumbledore considered this for a moment before replying, "It makes sense for our members to have rudimentary knowledge of Occlumency. However, with the heavy research schedule we have set up for the summer, it is not feasible for us to have Occlumency classes. Both Severus and I could teach, as well as Bill Weasley. We might be able to set up small classes for the fall for those who wish to get some training. We'll come back to this at a later time."

The Defence team looked at each other before Ron spoke, "Lastly, we have our team looking into using archive material for arcane Defence spells. Harry and I have been examining texts from the library here, from what Bill brings us from Gringotts, and from Charlie's contacts on the continent. Our list of findings thus far should be ready early next week for your approval Professor," he said, looking at Dumbledore.

"Excellent! Well then, onto our Charms and Transfiguration report." Here, Molly stood to present.

"We have two things to report today. Primarily, we have nearly completed a containment charm, with the help of Hermione's Arithmancy formulae. The charm will trap the Death Eaters in a contained area, like a single room until the caster releases them. It not only prevents apparition, port keys and physical escape, but Floo travel as well becomes inaccessible. What we must impart is that the incantation will be non-verbal, as we cannot allow ourselves to become trapped in our own net."

"Admirable work Molly!" Kingsley said, clearly pleased in his capacity as an Auror, as well as an Order member.

"I'll turn it over to Minerva to explain our second development," Molly sat back down, blushing at Kingsley's praise, and clearly pleased with her team's work thus far.

Minerva remained seated for her half of the report. "The current main focus of our team is a joint Transfiguration-Charms project. We call it the True Shape charm, and it forces the receiver's true form to appear, in spite of charms like glamours, transfigurations of physical appearance, and potions, like polyjuice.

Snape gasped. "Do you have any idea how many Death Eaters work under partial disguise? And the most sensitive infiltration is often done under polyjuice, in case any Ministry members catch sight of them. Merlin, the probability of scape-goating is going to drop dramatically!"

"Well then maybe the Ministry will let Stan Shunpike out!" Harry cried out.

Hermione sent him a sympathetic look. She knew Stan's indefinite holding in Azkaban was a sore point with her friend. "I'm sure they'll sort it out Harry." Hermione looked at Alastor meaningfully, raising her eyebrow at him in a silent question. He nodded to her. He'd look into it.

"The spell is coming along, but it still needs a lot of work. Minerva and I are at it day in day out. We're hoping to have it in working order soon enough. It's our priority now, and our testing, and with Ginny and Tonks doing all our leg work and researching, we're making good headway."

"I wouldn't call you casting experimental charms at me while I'm under Polyjuice or transfiguration as 'leg work' Mum!" Ginny said. She appeared to be quite worn out as a test subject. Hermione observed to herself that the two Weasley women on the same team would either be highly efficient or highly volatile. Given the looks Ginny was shooting at her mother, it was probably going the way of the latter at the moment.

Dumbledore cleared his throat to get the company's attention. "In spite of Ginevra's issues as a test case, the team appears to be making good progress. So let's move onto our final report, from the Reconnaissance team."

Doge looked up from his notes to give his report. He steepled his fingers together and looked rather grave as he began, "The latest information from our contacts is highly concerning. It would seem that there is a rising…market for untraceable wands. I'm not talking about getting a back-up Ollivander wand either. We're talking full-out black market goods, not made by any well-known, established wand maker. You've all seen how Ollivander works; he can take one look at one of his wands and tell you what the creature was that made the core, the wood type, the owner, and what kind of magical spells it best performs. Many wand makers are like that, able to recall the painstaking labour they undertake to create the wands we use everyday. The new demand is more for wands that can work under questionable to dark intention, that are unregistered and untraceable. I'm concerned for good reason. Tell them 'Dung."

Mundungus actually looked alert for one of the first times in Order history. "Our sources are talking about a wand maker coming to Britain. Someone dark, but very skilled in wand lore. And you can bet that this person isn't about to set up shop in the open. Oh no, they'll keep away from Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, even Knockturn Alley. It will be through invitation, or through your connections."

"This is grave news indeed. We'll further discuss this at our general meeting. We need to see who might have any knowledge about this new addition to the British economy." The headmaster's light sarcasm broke the tension that had mounted at Dung's news.

"Constant vigilance!" Moody's voice rang out. The students exchanged grins at one another. There was nothing as steadfast as Moody's infamous paranoia.

"Well then, if that is everything, then I shall excuse the students at this time." Dumbledore's statement left the Weasleys grumbling rather loudly. Ron and Ginny hated being excluded from Order proceedings almost as much as Harry, who was currently glaring at his favourite Headmaster.

Hermione was oblivious to the reactions of her peers, as she had shifted her attention to Snape, waiting for his instruction.

"Albus, do you still have need of me, or should I head to the lab now?" he queried.

"How much time do you have, Severus?" his mentor replied.

"About thirty minutes before I need to begin."

"Send Miss Granger to begin preparations, and stay to give your own report. I'll fill you in on everything else tomorrow."

Snape finally returned his gaze to his assistant, who had been waiting for his directions. "Hermione please set out two clean pewter number two cauldrons on the bench, with a large selection of glass vials in their racks. I'll need various rods at the ready as well, along with rolls of fresh parchment and ink, and my potions bag. I'll need two pairs of dragon hide gloves at the ready, as well as a first aid kit in case of reaction. Spread everything out at the largest work bench. I need you to be ready to take dictation from me on the parchment. _Bring plenty of ink and parchment_ as we're going to be testing for several hours. Find yourself a comfortable location, and for Merlin's sake, make sure you have protective gear with you!"

She memorized his instructions immediately, nodded her assent and bid the company a good evening. She was in for a long night of potions trials and needed to be ready to begin in thirty minutes. Hermione left the library and headed for the lab.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

I wanted to make the chapter longer, but this seems like the best point to take a break between chapters, as testing is going to begin in the next chapter. I had hoped to have this up only a few days after chapter seven, but was delayed by all the planning that had to go into it. I got it up as quick as I could, which means it may have some really stupid typos or grammatical issues. Sorry about that, I just really want to get to some good stuff ahead!

Do you have any idea how hard it is to plan a major research offensive against Voldemort? And I get my ideas in the weirdest places. One of the plans came after I heard an off-handed remark at a football game. I also read and reread everything I had done so far, looking for things I had previously hinted toward (I had forgotten all about that anti-jinx cloak!).

I know that my reviewers love my Severus/Hermione banter best, and God knows, I love putting in sarcastic remarks, but this was a serious chapter on tactics. The next chapter might turn out to be like this one as well. I hope to be back to our happier, snippy Snape in Chapter 9. I have a few things planned out that I think you will all enjoy.

Thank you to all my constant reviewers. Your comments give me the motivation to keep going; in spite of the tough planning I have to do (I've set myself up for a week of planning Potions. I have no idea what Snape is making in the lab right now). If any of my loyal and innovative readers have any sneaky ideas for Snape's 3 test potions, you let me know. The core twelve of you keep me hopping on this story. And to those of you who lead me toward Hermione's memory charm interest, I thank you. I'll be developing it further in the future as she gets to her favourite past-time: research. Expect to see some of your suggestions pan out!

And for all of your who needed or wanted clarification, a Budgett Frog (as discussed in Ch 7) is a frog known for living in cool, dark, damp places. It has a taciturn nature, and is known for being so ugly that it is cute. Try giving it a Google to see how ugly these things actually are. They have really wide heads, and big mouths. They also look kind of slimy. Adding that section in Ch 7 made my month, so I am so glad you've all liked it. I'll try to add a bit of Snape wit in the next chapter's lab session, especially since he wants payback so badly!

Stick with me! Serious tactics can only last so long! Harry's birthday is coming up!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

_Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, including the epilogue that made me hate canon. I'll get over it by writing fanfic like this, for which I make no profit._

_Chapter 9:_

Hermione had flung herself into the preparations for the evening of potions testing. It was worth putting all of her energy into; otherwise she might start plotting against her snarky team leader. Could she _be _any more mortified over flashing her professor? And the fact that he somehow took in enough of the detail to be able to _harass her_ about her clothing choices brought Hermione to a very dark place, where arranging an 'accident' to occur during testing and doing away with her professor's remains were starting to sound like good options.

And so she worked. He'd be only a bit behind her, so she needed to get things ready _fast_. Hermione set out the Number 2 cauldrons as requested, and then began sorting out vials in their racks and rods along the counter for the Potions Master's use. He wanted a large selection? Oh he'd get one!

Now where was his bag? Ah! Right on the end of his worktable along with, hello, his notes on the evening's potions in that familiar spidery script. Best to keep all the paperwork in one place really, so she grabbed spare rolls of parchment, and extra ink and quills and made a recording space at that worktable, which was directly across from the work area she had been setting up. She was tempted to start reading the professor's notes, but that would take up time she didn't currently have. Hermione took a quick look around the room, and realized she hadn't grabbed any protective gear yet. Going to the cupboard that held gloves, aprons and masks, she pulled out two pairs of Snape's dragon-hide gloves, two masks, and pulled out an apron for him as well as herself, not knowing what to expect. As set her own apron at the recording station, Hermione recalled his words about possible reactions. She went back to the cupboard and pulled out the first aid kit. Setting it on her table, she looked down at her clothing: cotton blouse and jeans. Hmm. It might be time to change and grab her boots before Snape entered. With a quick flick of her wand at the stool of her workbench, she left the lab for her bedroom.

When she returned the professor was pulling the apron over his head, and already wearing dragon-hide boots and gloves. Hermione entered and walked quickly over to her now transfigured chair. She grabbed her apron and pulled it on, taking care to cover her chest, stomach and legs as much as she could. If they were testing potions to help bring down the Dark Lord, then she really couldn't be too careful. Seating herself she pulled over the parchment, pen and ink and prepared herself to take notes. Her attention flicked to Snape, who was leaning over the cauldrons which had been simmering for weeks. He looked up immediately, feeling her gaze upon him.

"Now that you're ready to begin, I should explain where I have been going with the potions so far. The blue mixture in the cauldron here is my third attempt at a Compassion Concoction. Minerva was complaining to me around midterms that I didn't have enough compassion for the plights of the dunderheads under my care, and I had a brainwave. If certain death eaters were be dosed in such a manner as to come under the concoction, they would find themselves unable to harm others, as they would be too concerned with their plights and the effects of injuring anyone. The key here is to make the receiver compassionate toward the well-being of others, not just some sap who will buy into anyone's rubbish; otherwise, we're going to set up more Death Eaters who are completely for the Dark Lord's cause.

The first batch was a disaster: the subjects were too prone to suggestion, as they wanted to make everyone happy, and hence not be weighed down by hurting anyone's feelings. It was a mess. The second batch was more of a turquoise colour, with new moon dew added to draw out the focus of the receiver, and make them less prone to suggestion. Tea tree oil was also added as a stabilizer, amongst other things. That batch was better then the first, but it didn't hold very long, and there was still a tendency to be too prone to suggestion or inversely to not be effectively compassionate. I narrowed down some of the ingredients that may have been the causes of these problems, and supplemented the five that I thought would give the greatest results. The brewing has occurred in this main cauldron here, although I split some of the base into these five cauldrons just beyond it. Each cauldron has had one variable altered. The main cauldron holds the completely altered concoction, with all five changes made. We'll see which is the most effective when tested."

Hermione had been busy scribbling on parchment as he spoke, but this pause in the professor's explanation gave her a moment to question him.

"You really believe that by dosing the enemy with a healthy sense of _compassion_ that we can neutralize them as a threat?" She was a bit surprised, as well as unconvinced.

"Truth be told, at first I thought it might be something to give us a quick advantage. If someone was sprayed with the potion, they'd have a moment of regret or something similar. But what my years in the Dark Lord's camp has taught me is that while most join under coercion, or for power or whatever, they follow through with it by hardening their hearts. Service now is extremely violent, but that wasn't initially the case, or recruitment wouldn't have been so successful. It's bribes, blackmail and promises that entice service, but its fear that keeps it. Most are afraid of someone they care about being hurt by the Dark Lord, and that gives them the reason to do what they do. If you douse them lightly, they'll remember that we're all human, and can all be hurt. If you strongly douse those who truly enjoy service, you find yourself drawing the cruelty, malice and intent out of your strongest enemies, weakening them immensely."

Now she was shocked. To her, Death Eaters were sadistic villains who wanted to hurt muggleborns like her, who _wanted _her and Harry dead. They were bigots, and lead this idea by example. It had never occurred to her that some of them might be pressed into service against their will.

"My grandmother used to tell me about World War II, and how bad things were then, with the Nazis promoting ethnic cleansing and the inferiority of other races. She once told me that many people who wore the uniform didn't believe the ideology, that military service was mandatory, and that they were just as afraid of Hitler and his followers as many Jews. I've thought before how much You-Know-Who and Hitler had in common, but I had never thought about what some of the Death Eaters might be like." Her face was apprehensive as she said this to Snape, but her admission of ignorance on this topic had only drawn his admiration, and not his censure.

"I think all tyrants have similar tactics: they woo with flattery and lies and promises, and they crush their opposition as best as they can. They all fear being deposed, and so while having inner circles, never really let anyone close. And where they can't achieve true loyalty, they will happily settle with fear of violence and repercussions."

Hermione nodded. As far as she could tell, according to Snape's definition, Voldemort, Hitler and several other modern brutal tyrants could all be apples fallen from the same tree.

"As interesting as this aside has been, let's move on, shall we Miss Granger? The next set of trial relates to a Sensory Sharpener. Thus far, my samples have all worked at heightening sight and hearing, but they aren't strong enough as of yet. I want to really raise the senses to give us the advantage, and that means all 6 of them."

"All _six?_"

"If you had been raised within a magical community when you were young, you would know that all wizards and witches have a sixth sense. It's not just those who have heightened intuition like in the muggle world. In our world, all magical beings have a sixth sense. It's not their magical essence per say, but that is a factor. It's also raised instincts and perception, and a certain magic in and of itself. In battle, your sixth sense just doesn't say 'someone is behind me' it says 'someone is behind me, about to strike, and I will have to do this to avoid harm.' You see it in all the best duellers and fighters. If we sharpen the senses, our side is going to be _significantly_ stronger."

"It's brilliant".

Now it was Snape's turn to be shocked. She had called his plan brilliant. He just stood there, immobile, caught up in disbelief at her words. It was rare enough for someone to pay him a compliment, but for someone of her level of intellect to acknowledge his, it positively shook him. No one did that, not for him anyway. And all Severus could really do was gape at her for a few moments and think to himself, _finally someone appreciates my tactics._

He cleared his throat and looked at the cauldron in front of him containing the Sharpener. "I've made some improvements upon the ingredients from the original testing, and then separated half the base into these smaller cauldrons, which each bear ingredients attuned to each of the senses, then one cauldron with all of them together, with appropriate countermeasures to prevent reaction. We'll test each and see how the ingredients are behaving, and if they can work together. After testing the original base, we will place a stasis charm upon it so that we may use it in more trials as need be, since it takes nearly three weeks to create."

Hermione had stopped looking at him after her remark, and had been writing furiously. He narrowed his eyes at her parchment. "Is that a _sketch_?" he asked, put off that she might not have been listening fully as he described his labours.

"Oh yes, I like to add them in the margins of notes. I can then refer back to each cauldrons original colours and placements and know which samples carry which ingredients and so on. If you used any ingredients I didn't recognize, I'd draw those in too, to look up in the library later".

She sounded so stubbornly rational. And Snape was already wound up as all scientists are when testing their labours. He wasn't sure whether to laugh at her or shake her. Being Snape, he did neither. Instead, he scowled, and hissed out. "I hope that your artistic endeavours have not kept you from taking full note of my experiments, because I won't repeat them, and I don't tolerate mistakes".

"If you can remember the last time I missed a word of lecture, or made a gross error in Potions, I'd be happy to hear it".

_The little imp!_

"I recall a certain instance of a certain second year turning herself into a cat with illicit Polyjuice."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." she replied, face flushing a furious shade of red.

"Indeed?" Snape left it at that. He knew the truth. She knew the truth, and now she knew that he knew. He could needle her about it when they weren't dealing with experimental Potions. Snape took a deep breath and moved further away from her. The cauldrons for all the experiments took up an entire side of the wall, as each stood before the long workbenches. As he had been explaining he was working his way down the side of the room and further and further from Hermione's "secretary desk".

"This last set of cauldrons is for the third and final experiment I am working on, but as it isn't going to be in its final stages until after tomorrow's fête, I think that we can leave it for now. The most complex of the brews, from the ingredients and procedures point of view, is the Sensory Sharpener. I selected the ingredients I used based on both knowledge of Potions as well as Arithmancy. Tonight we are set to examine the properties of the completed potions, and to see that they are safe enough to test on animals. If they react in this last phase of brewing, then they will have to be scrapped before animal testing occurs. I have lab mice on which to perform them after this weekend. However, we must be fairly confident that the properties of the brew are stable enough for dosing. If they are not, we must convert them into a different state or realize that they are unsuitable for trials. When performing potions trials on the senses, we need to be _extremely _careful, as contact with untested potions can be highly volatile. There are no antidotes, so don't get _any _on yourself. It's dangerous. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly. So if you would care to begin by describing the composition and methodology behind these samples as we finalize the brewing then we can organize each test accordingly…"

Thus Hermione began assisting in her first round of experimental Potions.

* * *

When round one was completed, and they has tested and catalogued all the Sharpener's characteristics and reactions to elementary and intermediate analysis it was 4am. By the time they had moved on to the then completed Concoction, and performed its early analysis, it was 8:30 am, and they were both moving much more sluggishly. Hermione was still ready to take notes, pass equipment, and wash out cauldrons, beakers and vials in spite of her fatigue, when Snape noticed it.

"Miss Granger!" She nearly fell out of her chair in surprise at his voice behind her. She turned around and saw his piercing gaze upon her. He looked straight into her eyes for a few moments, and took notice of the bags under them, the fatigue lining her face, and the determination still marking her features. She wouldn't tell him that she was exhausted.

"I forget that you are not used to all-night testing as I am. It's much more intensive than it sounds. You've been up all night helping, and I took for granted that you could do so based on all the work you have handled so efficiently in here for Poppy. It's breakfast and you haven't even asked for a break aside from a quick jog to the Necessity. Go now, and grab some food and sleep while you can." He was actually sympathetic. With all his planning and watching of Hermione Granger, and his acknowledgement this last week of her skills and intellect, Severus had forgotten that she was still young, and kept hours much more like a normal person than he.

"I intended to finish my potions for Madam Pomfrey today sir."

His eyebrows shot up at that. But her face was determined, and he knew right away that her back was up.

"Perhaps you should begin the potions which have long simmering times then. That would give you time to eat and sleep before you had to be back here."

"I've already done them. I have mainly short potions left on my list, things that can be done over a few hours. I thought I might have last minute party plans or some such come up, and that this would mean I wouldn't have to keep returning to check my brewing."

"It seems that your planning has worked against you for once Miss Granger." He had the audacity to smirk at her. _Smirk!_ When she was this tired!

"If I had factored you and your experiments in, I'm sure my planning would have held up."

"Well then, I recommend that in the future, working as the assistant to a temperamental Potions Master, always factor in a few surprises."

"Point taken, Professor". He was right in a way. Order work was difficult to schedule in, so one should factor a certain amount of flexibility. That would really put a snag in her colour-coded flowcharts and timetables. Could she actually plan in 'surprise time' from her Potions Master? Hmm…maybe she could just give herself some scheduled breaks for leniency…

His voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "In the mean time, you're absolutely no use to me half dead as you are. So come back refreshed and get to work."

_Half dead?_

"While I am sure that wasn't meant to be quite so sardonic, I would like to remind you, that as your _assistant_, I can't help you if you are in a similar state. So I suggest we both retire for a few hours and meet back to check the last potion and work on the infirmary supplies."

"I'm fine, Miss Granger."

"Then so am I."

"Do you _always_ have to talk back? Can't you ever accept that I am the Professor and you are the student? You and your friends drive me closer each day to madness, I swear."

"Maybe you should sleep more."

Snape gritted his teeth at his aggravating student. He was a second away from shaking her. She looked up at him from her chair with a completely placid expression on her face. He was unravelling. He did need some sleep.

"Fine. Meet back this afternoon, no later than 2pm."

Hermione smiled. She'd be back by noon.

* * *

When she slept, his words from the night before swirled around her. _It's bribes, blackmail and promises that entice service, but it's fear that keeps it. Most are afraid of someone they care about being hurt by the Dark Lord, and that gives them the reason to do what they do._

_Is that why you joined? _She called out to the darkness around her.

But of course, Snape couldn't answer her here, in her own mind. And the more she dreamt the more that the faces of Nazis from pictures she had seen turned into Death Eaters around her. The marched in their orderly lines past her, but their expressions weren't grim, but resigned and weary. The men whom she had seen in history books changed into men with cloaks and silvery masks, and as she wondered if they would regret their choices, Snape's voice was in her head again, repeating _we're all human, and can all be hurt._

She awoke with a start.

* * *

­­

She had been back in the lab earlier than he, as she had anticipated. When Hermione had come awake, there had been no drifting back off. The images, the words, they played on a reel in her head as she bottled and brewed. She moved around the lab with a grace that belied the turmoil in her head. Why was it that every time she expected a normal git-Professor and Insufferable- know-it-all transaction, she always ended up with the sense that her assumptions of him made her a small, petty person. And she couldn't shake that feeling that kept returning: _Severus Snape was not what he appeared to be._ His complexity was apparent, but she could go no further with him at this point.

_And why not Hermione? What cause have you ever taken up that you haven't just delved into?_

Admittedly, her Gryffindor curiosity had been piqued. Severus Snape was a complicated man, and therefore, a complicated problem. Hermione's hands stilled for the first time since she had re-entered the lab: _The problem was that she wanted to know him._

_I want to know Severus Snape. The real Severus Snape._

Hermione fell off of the stool she had been sitting on.

* * *

Snape came back from his rest looking slightly more tolerable. He was however; amused to see that _just_ as he was coming into the lab, Hermione, who had her back to him, fell off of her stool. Classy.

"Perhaps when I specified that you should rest until 2pm, I actually _meant_ that in that timeframe, You. Would. Rest. Until 2pm."

Hermione had been picking herself up off of the floor when the silky tones began to mock her. So now she was graceless in a public forum. Fabulous. And she had almost fallen off her stool this morning as well. This really wasn't sitting well with the poised academic self she wished to project. _Smooth one Granger_.

"Ah, well, _tempus fugit_ you know."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Indeed?"

Hermione turned back to her simmering potion to avoid looking at him. "I've finished five potions in an hour and a half, and I only have six remaining. I'd say that getting them done and out of the way worked out just fine, Professor. Besides, I'll have some downtime before the party, and that will have me well rested and relaxed."

"Ah yes, Potter-Party. The time of year when we all get to celebrate the fact that Potter is still here, annoying us all and making my life in particular more difficult and exhausting."

"How can you even _think _that? Would you honestly prefer that You-Know-Who managed to get his hands on Harry? That's a terrible thought, Professor!" Hermione said indignantly.

"If I had any preference for your friend being at the mercy of the Dark Lord, I would have handed him over long ago. The fact is, however, that I have not. But every year, he still chooses to be reckless, to not consider that his actions have effects on others. That people suffer for his lack of forethought. And it just happens that when your bratty friend is his most reckless, it's usually myself that suffers, and Albus who has to clear up the pieces. Think of that before you let him run off and doing anything crazy as he comes of age, Miss Granger."

Hermione had long since stopped bottling her completed potion as they argued over Harry. Yes, Harry could be reckless, but he usually was only that way when he thought others were in danger.

_Was that strictly true?_

Hermione recalled all the stupid things they had done: wandering around the castle under an invisibility cloak, fighting with Slytherins, sneaking out…

Snape watched her face turn from confidence in Harry's actions to being marred by a bit of doubt. Maybe she would see that he was right. And of course, Severus was always right.

"Harry does not consider consequences from all aspects. That is true Professor. However, he is at his most reckless when he feels responsible for the potential danger that his friends and family could suffer. And then it seems that we have to patch together plans to stop that from happening...like going to the Department of Mysteries..."

Snape cut her off. "And you can see how well that went. The fact is that you are not planning for consequences, which is a trait of your house. If you were Slytherins, you would have learned by now to expect to have grievous circumstances present themselves, and you would have escape routes and plans of actions set out for contingencies. And yet, in spite of years of the Dark Lord attacking your friend virtually every year, you still do not plan for dire situations."

Hermione's eyes grew round. He was correct of course. Voldemort struck again and again, and yet, even when the Trio felt that Dumbledore was hiding growing threats from them, they did nothing. Training the DA was general good thinking in times like these, but Harry had never _ever_ planned on what to do in case of an attack.

Ron was a strategist, she a bookworm and researcher, and yet they had done _nothing_.

Severus watched her face as she processed his words. She wasn't one who naturally could hide what she thought or felt, and her thoughts were very nearly shouting at him now. And yet her next words surprised him.

"What do you suggest we do?" she asked softly.

It was his turned to be shocked. "You want my _advice_, Miss Granger?"

"Yes."

He paused to think for a moment before answering her. When he did, Snape looked Hermione directly in the eye, and said softly and slowly, "The Dark Lord himself was once himself a member of my house. His greatest point of pride is that he is the Heir of Slytherin. He is very sly, and very devious. Often, his machinations have involved months and months of planning. It has been very fortunate for your friend that he has escaped. Potter's chances would rise if he started thinking more like a Slytherin, and put in that meticulous preparation, and started to think of many routes for escape and survival."

Hermione took in his words, while noticing that something made his eyes appear to glimmer. Almost like he had long been thinking these thoughts, and only now was expressing them to her. "So you want me to teach Harry to be more Slytherin."

Snape smirked. "It would be very difficult for you to do so, as you are _embarrassingly_ Gryffindor, Miss Granger."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "While that might be true, I think I am just as capable as anyone else at researching subterfuge. Perhaps by researching Slytherin House a bit more, I might come up with some useful bits of information to teach Harry."

"I find it rather ironic that when I mentioned that you knew little of the basis of house prejudices against Slytherin rather recently, you did not care about remaining ignorant. However, now that it is about _Potter_, you're all ready to jump on the research. Tsk, tsk Miss Granger."

Hermione gritted her teeth as she replied, "I do not _revel_ in my ignorance. I would have looked into it at my next opportunity in my spare time. Of which I have had _none_."

"I suggest you make some. And as for teaching your friend about Slytherin behaviour, might I say that your friend will soon find himself with a very appropriate resource. I hope that you will wield your influence to make sure he uses it."

_What was he talking about?_

"Care to be a bit less vague Professor?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"There is no need to elaborate at this time. I'm certain your adequate level of intelligence will understand my meaning at the appropriate moment."

Hermione shrugged. "Alright".

"Now may I suggest that we wind down this discussion on tactics and finish the potions for the infirmary?"

Hermione glanced at the remaining bit of potion in her cauldron that was waiting to be bottled.

"We, professor? Do you not need to work on the other trials today?"

"The third potion is resting until after midnight, so there is little to do until then. Tomorrow will be a full enough day for you. I have notes to take this afternoon on last night's work, and seeing your rather graceless fall earlier, I thought you may enjoy the respite of being down here all afternoon. But if you would rather finish those last few potions alone…" he trailed off, glaring at his student.

"I would appreciate the help, Professor." She was suspicious of course. Snape never volunteered any sort of assistance.

"Excellent. The sooner you are finished, the sooner you can leave, and the sooner I can have peace whilst I work".

Bingo. His intentions were not at all altruistic.

Hermione just shook her head to herself as she resumed her work. She needed rest before the party, she had Ginny to deal with later this afternoon…and his words over the past day had her head swirling. She needed some peace and quite to think things over as much as he did.

* * *

When Hermione arrived back in her room an hour later, Ginny was already there, holding two dresses up and examining them rather critically. Taking one look at her friend's appearance (robes slightly askew, hair a riotous mass, hands covered in potions ingredients) and her disturbed and weary countenance, Ginny put her things down and walked over to Hermione.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently.

Hermione gave her a reassuring, but tired smile. "Tired, Gin. I've only been out of the lab for three or four hours since the meeting yesterday, and that was to get a quick nap."

"Are you sure that's all Hermione?" Ginny was giving her a knowing look, rather reminiscent of her mother. "You're my best friend, you can tell me anything and I will listen, and not judge you know!"

Hermione considered her options. She would feel better talking to Ginny, who, unlike Ron and Harry, knew how to keep her mouth shut, and actually had the emotional and mental capacity to understand Hermione's thoughts and feelings. Then there was the added bonus that Ginny ran rather brilliant interference with the boys. If she talked to Ginny now, instead of later, Hermione knew she'd have time to rest before the party without being disturbed. She sighed.

"One of the strangest parts about being the Potions Assistant is the fact that I find myself brewing and conversing with Professor Snape. At first, I just wondered how I would manage this summer without us killing each other, but now I find that when we're down in the lab, I start finding that we're talking just as much as we're brewing. The things that he has to say make me thing Gin, really think."

"What kind of things?" Ginny asked curiously.

Hermione smiled. "Sometimes strategies, sometimes about potions, but sometimes, about things like prejudices."

Ginny's eyebrows shot up at this. _"Prejudices?_"

"He's made me realize that house prejudices are one thing, and sometimes they lead us to make bigoted decisions. I have always assumed that all Death Eaters are purebloods who hate muggleborns like me. That is how I have been taught living as a Gryffindor at Hogwarts. The funny thing is Gin; he made a comment about how a really large percent of Death Eaters are coerced. I mean, it doesn't make what they do _right_, but imagine that someone said to your Dad that they would hurt or kill his family, unless he turned a blind eye to some Death eater activity, or even say that they kidnapped one of his children, I mean, that would make some people stop fighting Voldemort, it really would."

"My father would never be coerced into leaving the Order." Ginny replied.

"He's an example. I meant like, a Ministry employee. Your dad just came to mind. The fact is Gin; that the Order is made up of a handful of people who openly support Dumbledore and who stand against You-Know-Who. But what percent of the population is that really? It's miniscule. Most people are too afraid. Coercion and fear are powerful tools, and the Death Eaters use them. Think about how many people are not doing anything, either way, for us or against us. I have a bad feeling that quite a few are being blackmailed."

"Wow, this time in the lab sounds like it's really getting you thinking about the war, Mione."

"Professor Snape has that way of teaching me. He won't hand out answers, but he makes comments that get you thinking about how things are, not how they appear."

"That makes sense. Think about the way he gives homework. Almost all our essays are on potions from our textbook, but they involve research from other sources. He wants us to find the answers for ourselves."

Hermione smiled. "And that my friend is why you are the one who I can talk to. I love the boys, but they would never have made that connection. They are far too busy hating Professor Snape to see what he teaches us."

Ginny smiled.

"He said something today…about houses and You-Know-Who. He said that You-Know-Who's 'greatest point of pride is that he is the Heir of Slytherin. He is very sly, and very devious' and then he pointed out how far ahead he sets his plans in motion, how he takes his time, and works toward these horrible goals and attacks of his. Then he said that Harry would do better to learn Slytherin techniques, you know, getting You-Know-Who's frame of mind to be better prepared."

Ginny's mouth had formed an o as Hermione spoke, and a strange look was in her eyes. She looked out the window as she began her reply, "Hermione, what he said…you have no idea how right he is. Tom plans things with such detail, he is so meticulous…he gets these ideas, and they twist him until he has them set just so…"

Hermione's entire body had stilled. Ginny never spoke about her first year of Hogwarts to the boys, and very rarely to Hermione.

"You understand then?" she asked the youngest Weasley softly.

Ginny gave her a laugh that had no sound of mirth in it. It was hollow, like her eyes at the moment. "Tom is a taker, make no mistake about that. He takes what he wants, but he plans in advance. He thinks out angles, and he will spend months doing the groundwork if it sets up his goals. He spoke to me for months through that diary, and it was only in the end of the year that he had me attacking other students. I never saw his true intentions. Everything I told him, details of finally going to Hogwarts, of my family, my house and my friends…all of it became information that he twisted to get to Harry."

"It wasn't your fault Ginny!" Hermione said forcefully.

"I know that. I was the tool that he used to hurt people, I was not the cause. It doesn't make it easier."

Hermione thought about that year, about the fear that all the students had of each other, and of the moment when she looked at her mirror to see if the coast was clear…

"The weird thing Gin, is that he said that we keep facing the threat of You-Know-Who, but we never plan for what to do when he attacks. I mean, Harry is the Boy-Who-Lived, I'm the Bookworm, and Ron is the Strategist, and yet we have _never_ planned exit strategies. Or any kind of strategies!"

"We're not in the Order, Mione."

"And yet we still keep getting drawn into battle. We sit and moan that the Order treats us as children, and you know what? We act like it."

"That's a bit harsh."

"It's a bit realistic. We sit at school waiting for the shoe to drop when we see that the Order is worried, but we don't do anything to truly be prepared. We've hatched together plots on the spot to not end up dead, and we've been very lucky. The DA is a bit of defence, but when it comes down to being truly confronted, what are we really doing to be _ready_?"

Ginny turned back toward the window, and began thinking very quickly. A few moments passed as she put her thoughts together to present for her friend.

"We should listen to Professor Snape, of course."

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

Ok, I am going to start this by begging for your forgiveness for the months it took me to update. I'll tell you that it's all RL, and not make any excuses. Plus, I knew that this chapter, with the Potions testing, was going to be really difficult to write. I thought up 2 of the potions pretty quickly, and then it just went wrong (I uh, still have to decide on number three. I had an idea, and then I just lost it) I also wanted to have the luxury of writing ahead a few chapters and seeing how that would go, maybe find myself a beta, etc. Still no beta, but hopefully the updates will be much better now. And yay, I finally found my notebook, so hazaa.

So getting to clarification from my reviews:

Yapyap pointed out that the portgate is kind of confusing. I just thought I would let you know that explaining the Portgate as I visualized it was BEYOND difficult. I see it as a revolving door, except that each place where someone could stand (i.e. 4) would lead somewhere different. I will point out down the road that it is not for getting SNAPE'S info to Dumbledore quickly, it is about transporting people, news and info from one part of the Order to another quickly in reaction to the Intel Snape provides, and in a method untraceable to the Ministry and the Death Eaters. It's about mobilizing, and moving...about increasing responsiveness.

Thanks for pointing out the confusion!

I love hearing back from all of you. It helps me get back on the bandwagon. It's been awhile for me too, so if you see some story inconsistencies, let me know so I can fix them, eh? Feedback appreciated as always. Hope to hear from you soon!

PS: _Tempus fugit_ is Latin for "Time Flies".


	10. Chapter 10

_Big thanks to Tiff, who read my first two drafts and said there was some good material in there, and wellyuthink, who beta'd the final version and gave me some great help along the way._

_What you recognize is all JKR's._

* * *

Chapter 10: Potter Party

Mrs. Weasley had come into Harry's room early in the morning. She woke him up with a gentle pat on the shoulder and a "Good morning, dear". Harry struggled to wake up quickly, and reached for his glasses on the nightstand to better see his visitor.

"What's wrong, Mrs. Weasley?"

She smiled. "Nothing at all, dear. Last night, the Headmaster Floo-ed us while you were sleeping and asked for you to go to his office this morning, right after breakfast. I woke you up a bit early so you can get yourself ready to see him."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, stood up, stretched, and then reached for the jeans that he had worn the day before.

Mrs. Weasley looked scandalized. "Harry you can't wear the clothes you boys were mucking about in, playing Quidditch, to a meeting with the _Headmaster_! Now, you will march right into the bathroom and clean up, and then put on a fresh set of robes and pants to see Professor Dumbledore!"

She had that look on her face that she wore when chastising the twins. Harry knew better then to rebuke her. Instead, he found her mothering ways amusing in the way that any only child would. He dropped his head to hide a smile as he marched to the bathroom, directed by the arm she had outstretched during her lecture and the hand that pointed to where he ought to be 'smartening himself up'.

A half hour later, Harry found himself standing with a piece of toast in one hand, and some Floo Powder in the other. After the look Harry was given by the Weasley matriarch, he thought it best to consider getting a proper breakfast from the house elves as she clearly did not want him to be late for his appointment.

* * *

Harry was greeted by the twinkling expression of his favourite professor before he had even finished stepping out of the grate.

"Welcome, Harry! Happy majority!"

Harry blinked. Today was his birthday, and in the morning rush, he had forgotten!

"Err, thank you, Headmaster."

"Sit! Sit! Now, is that all the breakfast Molly sent you with? I told the dear lady not to rush, but she will run Headquarters as she does the Burrow, will she not?"

Harry grinned in response. "I don't think she knows any other way, sir."

The Headmaster clapped his hands and with a crack, a very familiar face appeared in the office.

"Dobby is so pleased to see Harry Potter today! I is hearing that it is Harry Potter's birthday! What can I get for Harry Potter and the Headmaster?"

"Dobby, would you mind bringing up some breakfast for two?"

"It is a pleasure to serve Professor Dumbledore and Harry Potter! I is being right back!" Naturally, being Dobby, his return was rather over the top, since he came bearing enough breakfast for the entire Order.

The two wizards began tucking into their repast. After a few minutes, Dumbledore started to speak, "To start with, happy birthday, my dear boy. I can't tell you how pleased I am to have you here with me on your majority. Your time in the Wizarding World has been fraught with hardships and danger. I know your parents would be very proud of you today." Dumbledore smiled warmly, but his eyes looked unusually wet as he added, "I'm so sorry that they are not here to see you come of age."

Harry was a bit surprised at the direction the conversation was taking. He paused before replying, his thoughts drifting towards the images he had seen in the Mirror of Erised. He weighed his words, but then simply said, "I'd give anything for them to be here with me." His voice was quiet, but strong. It was only natural, on a birthday considered as a great milestone among wizards, to long for how his family might have been if Tom Riddle had never risen to power.

Dumbledore grasped Harry's shoulder from across the small table at which they were seated. His protégé looked up and met the Headmaster's eyes. "Your life has taken a very different path than the one that James and Lily had planned for you. But it doesn't make this life less worthy. You have a family here: with the Weasleys, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, with the Order, with your friends. You've lost loved ones, but you have gained them as well. Today, I wanted to celebrate this life that you have made for yourself."

"I don't mean to be rude, sir, but is that why I am here?"

"In part, it was for us to enjoy your birthday breakfast together, but it was also so we might be able to discuss a few things." He smiled at his young charge. "Let's finish breakfast and have a chat, shall we?"

Harry was made a bit wary by the professor's previous commentary, but he agreed easily enough.

Dumbledore spent a moment playing with his eggs before he seemed to collect his thoughts. "I know that my choices for you have very often made your life difficult. I chose for you to be raised by your aunt and your uncle, and they ended up mistreating you. I knew how Petunia viewed the Wizarding World, but I never thought she would be so callous to her sister's only child. I weighed her animosity for magic against the protection her home could provide if Voldemort rose again. I suspected he would. In the long run, it was the right choice, but that doesn't mean it was the choice that gave you an easier life. I sent you away from everyone who loved you here, in our world, but I did it to keep you safe."

"I knew why you did it, sir, you told me in my first year. I've not held it against you."

"It was only the first of many decisions I made that affected you greatly. When first you came to Hogwarts, Tom was already plotting his return. I overlooked certain activities, and essentially goaded you into others, knowing in all likelihood that you would get into the chamber with the Mirror of Erised. It was the first time you faced him, even in his intangible form. But I saw that you had a strength in you that could turn the tide against Tom. As the years have passed, you've met him again and again. You've been directly in his path, and foremost in his machinations. I've been accused, to a certain extent, of putting you there, and that is true, in one sense."

Harry wasn't sure what to say to this speech. He had always thought that Dumbledore had showed him the path to the Mirror, and perhaps, even to the Chamber of Secrets, but he had also known that the Headmaster had never wanted him anywhere near the Department of Mysteries.

"So what is the truth then? Have you been keeping me safe, or have you been using me against your enemy?" Harry's eyes showed the depth of his hurt. Had he only ever been a tool to this man, whom he had considered to be his greatest ally?

Dumbledore sighed. "I should explain a bit more fully. I am the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, and the Headmaster of this school. I have put the war with Voldemort ahead of my concern for your own normal, wizarding childhood. I cannot refute that at all." He broke off for a moment and gazed out the window, and for a few seconds it became clear that his thoughts were elsewhere. When Dumbledore turned toward Harry again, he wasn't looking him in the eye, but rather staring at his remaining food. His voice was low when he continued, "I have made you into a soldier in this war, and I have contributed as much to your 'Boy Who Lived' epithet as Tom has. As I said, I made choices that impacted upon your life, and I put that life that was in my care into jeopardy by not being forthcoming. By keeping you out of the Order's efforts in this war, I have put you in positions where you walked unknowingly into danger. In my defence, I thought that by keeping you out of the Order, you might have been in less danger; you might have confronted Tom and his followers less, and the risk to you would have been less, than if I pulled you in to our intrigues."

That hadn't really answered Harry's question at all. And now it was Harry who could not meet the Headmaster's gaze. Acting without the Order's knowledge and having information kept from him had led to his godfather's death. Couldn't Dumbledore see what had happened? And yet it was Harry who would have to live with the guilt of running off into danger, and Sirius following him to his death. Harry suddenly recalled with remarkable clarity the meeting that had occurred in this very office immediately after that debacle. It was the sole period of time in Harry's days that he had loathed the sight of his mentor. The only point that he had felt truly used. It was also the only other time that Dumbledore had revealed his complacency regarding the horrifying events of Harry's life.

"I know that I am at least in part responsible for Sirius' death. I know that I have dragged Ron and Hermione into the line of fire as well. As much as you think that you have made the right choices for me, while we have been at war, you need to realize that I have tried to do the same. I have fought to the best of my ability with the crumbs of knowledge I have been given, and using whatever resources were available to me. And more often than not, we've barely survived. Ron and those brains, Hermione and the curse that Dolohov cast...all of us running for our very lives at the Ministry...we could have died again and again, and somehow, excepting Sirius, we're still alive. Sir, you have to understand, _I can only act with the information that you have given me_. When I don`t know what`s going on, that's when people get hurt." The words, with the underlying accusation, were as ashes in Harry's mouth.

The Headmaster suddenly thought of what he had kept back along the years: the signs of Voldemort's return, and how Harry faced him in front of the Mirror; the knowledge of the Chamber of Secrets and certain Darkest Arts, and Harry's subsequent run-in with the teenage Tom Riddle; the early Order of the Phoenix and the betrayal of the Potters, and Harry facing a werewolf and an assumed mass-murder in the Shrieking Shack; the Triwizard Tournament, in all of its dangers, and Harry coming back bloodied and with a dead student in his arms; and of course the consequences of having Tom Riddle in the young Gryffindor's mind, leading to the death of a good man.

Harry's mind was whirling as Dumbledore was thinking of the repercussions of his inaction with Harry. _'This is not turning out to be one of my better birthdays. Being chewed out by the Headmaster first thing in the morning over the greatest regrets of my life doesn't exactly say Happy Majority!'_

Dumbledore met Harry's gaze head-on, and replied to Harry's statement, "I have just admitted that I am responsible for putting you in the position you have described. However, the situation with Tom being what it is, and your coming of age has changed my opinion on how things should proceed."

"I'm not certain that I am following you, sir."

"I'd like you to become a full Order member, Harry."

Harry sat back in his chair. He was quiet for a few moments as he pulled his thoughts together. If there was anything that the last few minutes had taught him, it was to take in what the Headmaster said with a certain amount of suspicion. "I'm certain that there has to be a catch." Harry narrowed his eyes as he recalled the times when Dumbledore repeatedly denied students the right to join the Order before graduation. It couldn't be that simple.

Dumbledore caught the direction Harry's thoughts had taken. "The fact is, no matter how well this castle is protected, and no matter how hard we have all tried to watch you, it would seem that keeping you and Tom away from each other is impossible. You seem to have a gift for running into Dark Wizards." After this comment, the twinkle had suddenly returned to his eyes. He gave Harry a genuine smile, impressed with the fact that Harry hadn't readily accepted Order membership without a qualm.

The tightness that had come across Harry's chest when Dumbledore called him a soldier started to loosen, allowing Harry to notice it for the first time. All of Harry's body language had closed up as the conversation had progressed. Harry took a deep breath, and gave his professor a tight smile in return. It didn't mean that all was forgiven or forgotten, but there was business at hand to discuss.

"What are your terms for me entering the Order?" he put bluntly.

"You will remain a student at Hogwarts for your last year. However, you will be expected at all meetings, and it will be imperative that you receive more defence training, and that you finally learn to _close your mind_."

"With whom will I train?"

"For the defence training, the same Order members that comprise of your Order Research team, as they are the most studied: Alastor, Remus, Kingsley, and I. After the utter failure of your Occlumency training with Professor Snape, I think that I will have to take over until you learn the basics. Once you are stronger with your technique, we'll reintroduce Professor Snape as an antagonist trying to get into your mind."

Now was not the time for snotty, antagonistic Snape remarks. Now was the time to be stunned. Harry _was_ floored. He found himself making a sudden revelation: he was being trained for active duty in this war. He was finally doing _something_ to bring the war to Voldemort.

"I'm offering you full membership into the Order of the Phoenix, including meetings, access to information, and projects, with the proviso that you finish out your last year with increased private training, as it is the best way, both to have you involved, and to train you to meet your maximum potential."

A sudden thought occurred to Harry. "I've always met my maximum potential by being aided by two people: Ron and Hermione. You know that we don't keep secrets from each other. How can you expect me to be in if they are out? That's not the way that we operate, and secrecy is the Order's ultimate mandate, as far as I have ever seen."

"Our ultimate _mandate_ is to defeat Tom Riddle. But you are correct in saying that secrecy has been a major part of obtaining that objective. You also know why it is necessary. In regards to your friends, they have been involved in this war nearly as long as you have...at least as you have been in the Wizarding World. However, this is a unique case: I can't leave you uninvolved any longer, not with the way the Prophecy has developed and how Tom has been operating. On the other hand, Molly has made her opinion about students in the Order, especially her children, very clear: _not until you have left Hogwarts_. Miss Granger's parents are woefully uninformed in terms of the state of the Wizarding World, and the active role their daughter has taken in the war thus far. They have not raised objections to her participation because quite frankly, they have no idea what she has been up to. Which begs the question: can they join the Order and fight? The only answer I have currently is that I have watched the three of you for years, and you work together well. You, Ron, and Hermione are stronger together than you could be apart."

"So they can join as well?"

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together as he spoke, "Since Sirius' passing, Remus Lupin and I have been your legal guardians in the Wizarding World. We will both consent to your membership. As you are now of age, you can make a mature decision. Hermione is also of age, however Ronald is not. I propose that we put forward a motion at the next Order meeting to include them as members, and we will allow the majority to rule. I can`t force Molly and Arthur to involve their youngest son when he is still a minor."

"The Weasleys will vote against them! You know they will! Look at how they held back George and Fred, even though they were of age!"

"You know I can't force them. You are an exception because of the bond that you share with Tom, and because of the Prophecy. If you believe that our best chance for defeating Tom is with you having your friends at your side, then you will have to make the case for it. I will make certain that your points are heard and allowed in the forum of the general membership."

"You already said it, sir: I'm an exception because I share a bond with Voldemort. But Ron and Hermione are exceptions too: _because of the bond that_ _we share_."

"I suggest that you inform the membership of that, then."

"How long will I have to put together my case?"

"We have a meeting next week. I suggest that you are prepared at that time."

Harry nodded his assent and began picking at his breakfast again, unsure of what to do or say now.

Dumbledore pushed away his dishes and cleared his throat. "Now that we have concluded business, I do have some other things to tell you."

Harry looked up sharply. The normal expression that Dumbledore wore when speaking to him was back: that of the kindly grandfatherly figure that beamed at him.

"I am so proud of you. You have no idea. I just told you point blank how I have hurt you and brought you to this point in your life, and you handled it all with dignity and restraint. I know you have suffered, and while I have so much regret over the losses you have had to endure, I am amazed every day at how well you have borne it. I said I have made you a soldier, but that does not lessen my regard or my affection for you, not in the least. It has made it even more difficult for me to put you at risk. I told you in your fifth year that I didn't want to burden you with certain knowledge because I wanted you to be happy. And I do, I do want you to be happy and have as normal a life as you can. It's why I have kept you out of active duty, because I wanted you to grasp as much normal student life as you could. I've already told you about one truth today, and that was the part I have had in your hardships. But there is another truth as well: even outside of the war, you are important to me."

Harry felt a blush rising in his cheeks. It was the answer he most desperately wanted to hear: to know that he wasn't just a tool of the Prophecy, but that he mattered just for simply being Harry. The hurt of their conversation was washed away in that moment because Harry respected and cared deeply for Dumbledore as well. He stammered his thanks to Dumbledore, much to the Headmaster's amusement.

"And onto more pleasant matters! Did you know that I had the pleasure of being close friends with both your grandfather and his father as well, both on your father's side, of course?"

"No, sir, I had no idea."

"Truly?"

"Truly sir. I have very little knowledge of my family, except for a few bits about my mum and dad that Sirius and Remus told me."

"Ah! Such a shame! We should do something about that immediately!" Dumbledore tapped (to) his index finger to his lips as he thought about it. "Well Harry, it is your birthday, and I had hoped to spend some time with you this morning as there is no pressing business awaiting either of us today. Considering your last statement, I have an idea of where we should begin our adventures."

Harry was a bit staggered. Dumbledore was a very busy man, and Harry had never spent a substantial amount of time in his company, much as he would have liked to otherwise. He was pleased to see that the Headmaster was true to his word, and that he didn't purely have uses for Harry within the context of the war.

"What sort of adventures, sir?"

Dumbledore beamed at Harry. "I've known your family for many years, and I have a rather long and excellent memory, even if I say so myself. I suggest we begin with a tour of the premises, as much has happened to the Potters within these hallowed halls."

"A tour of Hogwarts, Professor?"

"With an emphasis on the more memorable or historical Potter moments. Your father was certainly not the first troublemaker in your family, a tradition I have seen you uphold admirably!" Dumbledore gave a quick chuckle as he rose from his chair and led Harry to the office door. "Illegal defence organizations, sneaking out, and raiding of supplies aside, you come from a long line of morally upstanding Potters who had a penchant for mischief! As your guardian, I feel the need to be e bit more forthright from now on. Did Remus ever tell you about the Pixie incident of 1977?"

"No, sir."

"It would seem that your father and his friends decided to liven things up by releasing a coven of pixies in the dungeons. Needless to say, pixies and potions are a volatile combination. It took the staff and prefects two days to track down all the pixies. Your mother, as a prefect and a top potions student, was not impressed to say the least, and the east dungeons were never the same again after the pixies were through with them."

"But, Professor, classes are taught in the dungeons west of the staircase."

"Precisely, Harry."

At that, Harry began laughing. "It rather reminds me of my second year here; when Professor Lockhart unleashed the Cornish Pixies and we spent two hours getting them all back into the cage as they trashed the Defence classroom."

"My dear boy, you, better than most, should understand that Gilderoy never had an original idea in his life, bless him!"

"Are you saying that he knew about my father's...misdeeds?"

"I'm saying that your father and his friends were rather notorious, and that their antics tended to inspire others into trouble."

Harry grinned, which quickly turned to chuckling as Dumbledore continued with another anecdote, "Have you ever heard of the time when _someone_, and by someone, I mean your grandfather Hugh, incapacitated all the house elves with several crates of Butterbeer in order to have a full run of both the kitchens and the laundry?"

Harry was a bit puzzled as they went down the stairs. "Why the laundry, sir?"

"Well, Headmaster Dippet was well known for certain eccentricities, but took great care with his attire during the day. As it turned out, he was apparently much more liberated with his night clothes, which became public knowledge soon after."

Harry followed Dumbledore as their made their way past the Great Hall and towards the trick staircase. Harry recalled getting his foot stuck there that one day when he had been under the Invisibility Cloak, and the imposter Moody had saved him from being caught out by Snape. If it had been anyone without that magical eye, they never would have seen him. For some reason, Harry was compelled to tell the Headmaster about it as they passed the staircase.

"I can imagine the scene that Barty would have stumbled upon!"

"Oh, I was terrified that Professor Snape would catch me! He had his arms out, like this," Harry gestured accordingly, "and was coming closer and closer to where I was stuck. He couldn't know for sure because of the Cloak..." Harry broke off as he thought of the cloak his father had once possessed.

"I never told you, but it's my most treasured possession. It meant a lot to me, that you saved it for so long to give to me."

Dumbledore smiled at Harry. "Boys should always have tokens from their parents to remember them by."

They walked on a bit longer, before Harry had the courage to ask Dumbledore something he had always wanted to know. "Why do you never talk about your own family?"

"To my regret, we haven't spent much time together. I hope that now we will have more opportunities for discussions on a broader range of subjects than has been our wont. My family hasn't really come up before. However, you may know of my brother Aberforth, who tends bar at the Hogshead. He's always been a bit odd, although he is a very good man. My father died when I was very young, and my mother was rather preoccupied with missing him. Aberforth and I both developed different ways of coping with the loss of our father and the withdrawal of our mother. I immersed myself in learning and books, much like your dear friend Miss Granger, while Aberforth had an affinity with animals. My father was excellent at Ancient Runes and languages, much as your father was with Transfiguration and Defence."

"You're good with languages too, sir. I remember you speaking Mermish during the tournament."

"It always surprises me that we can inherit skill and talent from our parents, even if we didn't know them well. Aside from Transfiguration, your father was, as I said, a skilled Defence student, and an amazing flier."

Harry smiled, remember his first year and discovering that his father had played Quidditch as well.

"You and I...we are very similar Harry. I often forget that."

Dumbledore gave Harry a small smile, and Harry found himself struck by the fact that, in spite of the difficult conversation at breakfast, or maybe because of it, he had never felt this close to Albus Dumbledore before. Harry smiled back at the Headmaster and they walked on, beginning the adventure of discovering Potter history at Hogwarts.

* * *

Originally, the party was supposed to take place at Headquarters, but certain factors conspired against the Ancient and Noble House of Black. It had been Remus who had pointed out that a boy coming-of-age should be surrounded by all his friends on this hallmark occasion. Something in his eyes had spoken to the Headmaster, who also realized quickly that not all Harry's friends were Gryffindors or Order members. After all of Albus' planning on how to trigger a timed Obliviate that would nullify a secret-kept location, he seemed extremely reasonable about moving the party location.

The change of location had looked like it would be the Burrow and invitations had been sent out. Only a few weeks later, as summer began, did the site come into question again. With Death Eater activity on the rise, and with the Burrow being an unsuitable defensive position to say the least, somewhere else, safe but not secret would have to be used. Somewhere that still felt like home to Harry.

Dumbledore had stopped by Headquarters during the first week of vacation for a word with Arthur and Moody. Ron and Ginny had been in the kitchen at the table, having lunch. As the Headmaster outlined the venue problem, Ginny and Ron looked back and forth at each other. Ginny quirked an eyebrow at Ron, and he nodded in response. On the rare occasion, Ron could be rather intuitive, albeit only with either his sister or Harry (because honestly, how would he _ever_ understand Hermione?). Dumbledore turned to the young Weasleys, and asked for their opinion on the matter.

Ron met his eye and answered, rather more maturely than was his habit, "If Headquarters and the Burrow are out, but you still want safety and meaning, then there is only one choice--Hogwarts."

Dumbledore's eyes began to twinkle. "A capital suggestion, Mister Weasley! I'm surprised that I didn't think of it myself—especially as I live there."

"Even if the other places were safe, I think that this would suit Harry better, sir," Ginny interjected.

"Is that so? Now, why is that, Miss Weasley?"

"Because it's Harry's home."

It was a truth so simple, that the adults present in the kitchen accepted it immediately. Without any further deliberation, they re-sent the location information to the guests and adjusted their planning accordingly.

* * *

Back at Headquarters, Hermione and Ginny had continued their deep discussion after a quick rest. They had plans to make and things to go over as they readied themselves for Harry's soiree. They were both focused upon one key idea: that this year would be different than any other, because they would finally be preparing for whatever the war may foist upon them. Whereas the students were rarely informed of Order plans, and had become figurative 'sitting ducks' on a few occasions, the girls had decided that extensive training, research and information gathering would be absolutely essential.

"I'm going to be at Hogwarts and some other magical libraries quite often this summer, researching for my team. If I come across anything I find useful, I'll make copies for us," Hermione said.

"By us, do you mean the DA?"

Hermione blinked, and (then) thought about it. "I had meant Harry, Ron and us...but you're right, getting the DA involved is a good idea. The more people trained, the more we can cover each other's backs. There would also be more people to do research, and more strengths to be potentially utilized."

"My mum had me doing a lot of the legwork for the Charms team, so I'll see what I already have that could help us."

Hermione smiled, recall the dirty looks Ginny had shot at her mother during the last meeting at Headquarters. But, she got her thoughts back on track and continued the conversation, "Once school is back in session, we can get together for DA meetings more frequently. Honestly, aside from Quidditch, I don't think we should work around anyone's schedules anymore. I mean, I'd like to drop everything but classes, Prefect duties and the DA, but you know how everyone would react to dropping _Quidditch_."

Ginny rolled her eyes. If there was one thing Hermione would never understand, it was Quidditch. "Yes, well, let's talk to Harry and Ron and see what we can plan. Once we're back at school, we can see what DA members are on the teams, and see who the new captains are. We may be able to sort this out easily. The trick is to keep trustworthy people involved, but have as many people as possible preparing. Honestly, most of us are walking targets because we're untrained and untested. I shudder to think of how many accidents we may have while undertaking this lot."

"Well, I think I can help out with that a fair bit. I can probably set up a potions lab of some sort in the Room of Requirement, deal with basic injuries and such."

Ginny's eyes snapped up from her mirror, where she had been working on her makeup, to meet Hermione's reflection over her shoulder. Her next words came out in an airy breath, "Hermione...the Room!"

"Ginny, we always use the Room."

"But the Room...it _knows things_. When we started the DA, Harry found some training and defence books. But what if we were asking the Room for more help? What if we asked for the information, the equipment to learn stealth, defence, offense...?"

"Ginny! You're a genius!" Hermione was very excited. "This is the perfect way to start! I have to go to Hogwarts this week...I'll see if I can sneak off for a bit, and see what the Room will give us."

The room buzzed with their excited voices as they began planning how the term should start, and what the DA should begin with in terms of training and possible recruitment. The girls spent their time outlining the best approaches as they slipped into their clothes and readied themselves.

Hermione had dressed herself with some amount of care for the party. Normally, she wouldn't have made any effort. As it was, she didn't go all-out, but did manage to find a peacock blue dress in her trunk for the occasion that clung to her figure on the top and twirled around her legs in a ballerina cut from the waist downward, ending at her knees. Ginny, on the other hand, had carefully marcelled waves in her hair, and had used a lovely peridot shade of eye shadow which perfectly complimented her dress. Ginny looked stunning. She had a simple elegance that belied both her efforts and how crazy she had made her roommate over her ensemble, which was a lovely Grecian cut, with the straps roping at the shoulders.

When Ginny was _finally _satisfied that she would knock Harry over at the sight of her, she pronounced them ready to go. The girls grabbed their purses and Harry's gifts and headed downstairs, where they were to meet their escorts to the castle. Hermione had been surprised that it was necessary, but there was some secrecy still in the planning, and neither of the girls knew where in the castle the party was going to be held.

They were well-met by Fred and George who greeted Hermione with whistles and catcalls which caused her to blush, and glared at Ginny, who glowered in return. Remus strode into the hall to join them, directing them to the fireplace and the Floo pot.

"Say 'The Assembly Rooms, Hogwarts' and then _wait for me to meet you."_ After this, he took a long glance at the twins, who made faces of absolute innocence. The girls Floo-ed first, followed by the boys, and then Remus himself.

As they brushed the ashes and soot from their robes, the group began to look around. The main room was ridiculously oversized for the event, with smaller rooms off from the far side of where they currently stood.

Remus gave them a quick smile. "I know it's large, but I think you'll find it works out rather well. There's a supper room off at one end, which is smaller than the Great Hall. The tables are already set for the guests who are coming. There is also a tea room, which in past eras was more for the ladies, and a card room, which was for after-dinner entertainment from what I have been told."

"Is this space really necessary?" one of the twins queried.

"Well...yes and no. There were too many guests to have the party in the Gryffindor Common Room, and it wasn't like we could have Harry's party in the Great Hall, where anyone may drop in. There had to be a certain... discretion when planning this party and the Assembly Rooms haven't been used in such a long time, that few recall that they are here. They went out of fashion a few centuries ago, and Hogwarts began using the Great Hall for all its larger events."

"Just how many people are coming?" Ginny asked, an idea about her mother's temperament building in her head.

"Many. I mean, quite a few past and present Gryffindors, nearly all the Order and DA, and some other people who have touched Harry's life in some way that may be important on a special birthday like this."

Hermione began walking around the large room, and taking in the decorations. Ginny had told her that her mother had been here for most of the day, setting up. The whole thing was a testament to Molly's feelings for Harry.

_As good as indeed_.

The room had been decorated with pale green and golden crepe papers, fairly lights, and what appeared to be a charmed miniature figurine of Harry chasing a snitch around the room. At least, Hermione _assumed_ it was intended to be Harry. Tables had been pushed against the one wall, and light appetizers and drinks had been spread out, buffet style. There were some scattered chairs and couches, all in what appeared to be Regency style, along one wall. Some charmed instruments stood at the ready on a dais, so there might be dancing later. At the edge of one of the tables, past the food and loaded already with presents, Hermione saw something large lying flat, shimmering slightly, so she drew nearer with Ginny in tow.

It was a large card, and the shimmering came from the lettering that read '_Happy Majority Harry!' _Hermione smiled as she looked down to see that each of the Weasleys had already written thoughtful messages to Harry for his seventeenth birthday. There remained many large patches on the card that were blank still.

"It's rather like a guest book, where all the guests today can leave Harry a message. It's a bit of a convention from some of the more traditional Wizarding families. Something that Harry can keep with for a very long time and recall what he means to those who love him, as he is right now, for many years ahead," Ginny said softly.

At that moment, Hermione noticed a quill and ink pot to the side of the large card. Even the ink shimmered and swirled from the insides of the pot. Hermione paused with the quill in hand as she wondered what message to give her best friend. She looked at the messages from the Weasleys and found that when she really tried to read them, the ink appeared to swirl in front of her eyes, making the messages impossible to make out with only the signatures remaining still.

"That's odd," she muttered.

"Hermione, the messages are meant for Harry alone. That's the magic in the card, he can keep it forever, and only he will see each message clearly," Ginny explained.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at that explanation. Then she smirked at her friend. "That really does make me curious as to what _you_ would have written to Harry, Gin!"

Ginny had the good sense to blush. "Never you mind what I wrote to him!"

They laughed together briefly, before Hermione leaned over with the quill and began writing her good wishes to her best friend. In the last seven years they had become more like brother and sister than merely friends. All the challenges of youth and all the dangers they had overcome had led Hermione to admire and love Harry more than that first year, when she told him that his friendship and bravery were what mattered most. She remembered how she had told him that he was a great wizard as they stood before the black flames that lay between them and the Mirror of Erised.

He _was_ a great wizard, and today he turned seventeen and became a great man as well. Hermione wondered how she would fit her words of affection on a card, even one that was larger than normal. But that was magic for you, because no matter how much of her heart she poured out in that shimmering ink for her friend to read, there was still more than enough room to tell him how much she cared.

* * *

The Assembly Room had filled up not too long ago. If you looked around, you could see, not only the usual cast of Order Members, Gryffindors, and Harry's closest friends, but those whom he had touched over the years. She saw members of the DA, from three of the four houses (_note to self: find trustworthy Slytherins_), past and present Gryffindors, and, making her smile and Ron blush, the Delacour girls were in attendance. The tables were turned a bit when Fleur told Hermione that Krum had wanted to come as well, but that he was unable to make it due to some business back home. Naturally, Hermione reddened under the scrutiny of her friends, like Seamus and Lee, who jeered appropriately.

Ginny and Hermione had taken their afternoon conversation to heart, and carefully muttered to DA members to keep an eye on their Galleons for messages as it would be a busy year at Hogwarts, details to follow. A few looked expectant, but all seemed rather unsurprised, given the nature of the political situation across the country. Times were getting worse, and they had a lot of work to do if they were going to defend themselves.

Hermione had also wondered if it was wise for Headquarters to be empty, and for so many to be mixing with members of the Order. How would she explain the presence of Kingsley or Tonks to other students? How would Harry know them? Surrounding Harry with the people who loved and respected him best was Dumbledore's gift to his protégé, but Harry's contact in the Wizarding World had been limited to a select few that he trusted wholeheartedly, and that fact was well-known. How would they explain the guests who were arriving to celebrate Harry? How would they explain _Snape_ being at Harry's party?

Hermione decided that this was something she would ask about, and began looking around for just the right set of people who could answer her.

Hermione saw Ginny, having a fairly good time catching up with some old Hogwarts alumni, including Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell. Hermione was fairly certain that Harry would enjoy a long discussion of League Quidditch upon his arrival, since Oliver was leading a very thorough discussion with his old team-mates. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were seated amongst a group that included Ms. Figg, who had brought along one or two of her cats, for some unknown reason. Hermione shook her head at this (even cat lovers have limits), and continued moving from group to group. Lee Jordan was busy casting furtive glances over his shoulder at Moody as he and the twins were in deep discussion of some sort, and Neville and Cho were talking about the Head Girl pool, but immediately broke off as the lead candidate drew near.

Hermione was getting the sense that, for the first time outside of school, many people were now ready to stand with Harry and Dumbledore. She also began to assume that Dumbledore would never think of inviting anyone who might not be fully backing Harry. She spotted the Order members she was looking for, and approached Remus and Moody, ready to see if this was all a good idea.

"Hello, Hermione! Enjoying yourself?" her former professor asked kindly.

"She'd better be after all the effort the Order put into this party," Moody muttered darkly.

"I am, actually. But I do have a question for you though."

"Spit it out, girl," the old Auror ordered.

"Is it safe for so many to know where Harry is going to be and _who is here this evening_?" Hermione asked Moody.

"I didn't think you youngsters would even consider that." Moody was clearly surprised by her query. "I raised the issue with Albus myself. It would seem that your DA is already very involved in this war, and the members will probably be groomed to enter the Order after graduation. As it is, Albus is certain that the members who are here tonight, and the alumni that are here as well, all back Potter one hundred percent. The ones who are old enough are going to be offered membership soon."

"So the Order won't be compromised at all?"

"Albus performed some complex magic to bring them here. A spell was added to the invitations. When they RSVP'd, it became a magical contract of a sort. You may know something about that, wouldn't you now , Miss Granger?"

A quick image of the word 'sneak' written in acne flashed in Hermione's mind. She gulped slightly. "I may."

"But imagine that breaking the secret would be impossible, because if you even attempted to tell where we are and what we were doing, you'd have no memory of the event whatsoever. And you'd be left only with a feeling of self-disgust," Remus added in.

Hermione looked over at Remus before addressing her next remarks to them both. "It is all well and good for the location and the event to be hidden, but these people will recall what happens here tonight and _who they see_. Is that safe for _everyone_? Even if they don't say anything, they're bound to draw some conclusions."

Moody gave her a long look before he replied. "Your team leader's identity will not be a secret to these people for much longer. Those who don't know of his work already have suspicions. He isn't here, yet, he's been…called away to his other duties." Moody's tone had become more and more cutting as he discussed the Potions Master.

"Hermione, maybe it would be better if you tried to ready some of your friends for his appearance. They know he and Harry aren't on good terms. They don't need to know yet about the Order and Snape's role in it. You could drop hints now that Harry's professors are here to protect him out of school, as a favour to Albus, as one of Harry's guardians. They will believe you if you start now, and point out that Moody, McGonagall and I are all here," Remus reasoned.

Hermione's brain processed this information immediately. Remus sounded concerned. No matter what she told her friends, there was bound to be some speculation, especially since Harry and Professor Snape were known enemies. She had better work quickly.

It took her some time to work in the teacher's presence to the guests. She called over Remus to settle a Quidditch debate, and pointed out why he was there, as one of Harry's official guardians. She used Moody to discuss Defence and skills that Aurors found the most useful with fellow DA members (it was almost like having a short, ,guest lecture), and just as she was wrapping up a discussion of Hogwarts gossip, past and present with some alumni and Professor McGonagall, Molly sounded the alarm with, "Hush now! They're coming!"

The Assembly room fell silent and dark but for the fairly lights twinkling. The entrance door had been closed. Dumbledore's voice could be heard but not distinguished from down the hall. It grew a bit louder before the gathered assembly heard him say, "Now this leads to a most interesting set of rooms, where your great-great-grandfather Lawrence used to cut quite a figure during social events, the old rogue. Ah, the handle tends to stick on the door. Would you mind giving it a bit of a shove and open, Harry?" Within a few seconds, the door's handle began to turn and open…

* * *

Harry had spent one his best days ever going through the castle with Dumbledore. Hogwarts was his favourite place in the world, and he could never spend enough time walking around it and trying to discover its secrets. He was amazed by how much more vast it was than he had ever anticipated. He had seen new parts that he was eager to show Ron and Hermione once they returned to school. It was also one of the first times in his life that conversation about his family flowed freely. It was a new sensation for him.

They had wandered through many corridors and rooms, with the Headmaster pointing out places where Harry's family had had memorable occasions. Dumbledore had lived a long life, and had an excellent memory.

When they had passed the Room of Requirement, Harry had finally been able to reveal the full secret of the Room to Dumbledore, who now knew if he had dire need of a chamber pot at any hour, he could find it there. Harry had described how the Room worked, and asked Dumbledore to give it a try.

"What should I ask it to do, my boy?"

They had been walking for some time, so Harry suggested that they ask for a place to relax. The Headmaster amended that it should still be a place where they could have fun celebrating Harry's birthday as well.

"Then focus on enjoying yourself, sir. See what the Room comes up with."

When they entered, to Dumbledore's glee, they found both ten pin bowling and chamber music.

They lingered there for an hour, and then headed to the Great Hall to have afternoon tea, having skipped lunch during their wanderings. At the empty head table, Dumbledore drew a packet of Exploding Snap cards from his robes and challenged Harry to a match, with the winner receiving a bag of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans. Harry won in a rather spectacular set that caused Dumbledore's beard to smoulder, and he offered the Professor some of the 'winnings'. When the Headmaster declined, Harry suspected that he had lost purposely, after recalling Dumbledore's onetime run-in with an earwax bean.

After tea, the Headmaster asked Harry to follow him to the staff room so he could pick up something. He returned to the hallway where Harry was waiting for him carrying a large, golden package. He smiled, and led Harry outside into the late afternoon sun.

Dumbledore handed Harry the gift, and gave him a bright smile. "I think, given the day that we have had, that this is eminently appropriate for you. Open it and I'll explain."

Harry was as curious as he had ever been. He tore of the paper and found himself looking at a large, richly tooled tome. And that is just what it was. It was too large, too ornate to be simply described as a _book_. He opened the cover, and looked at the title page.

"_The Potters: A Lineage and History_"

He turned the pages, quickly seeing that there were not only extensive genealogical charts, but detailed histories and accounts of memorable men, women and their achievements. Pictures of those who had come before him, sharing certain features marked many passages: his unkempt hair, the curve of his chin, the shape of his face. Pages and pages of notes and drawings were there as well, in various hands and types. Harry's throat constricted, and his eyes welled, as he stroked a picture of a recent Potter, not long gone. In it, James stood with his arm around his wife and an arm cradling his infant son, with a charming, stone home behind him.

"That was when your parents brought you home from St Mungo's. Your mother wanted to have you there. Most witches would deliver at home, but she had her mother come for the birth, and needed the extra wands around in case there was trouble delivering, as your maternal grandmother couldn't assist her. That was your home, in Godric's Hollow, behind them," Dumbledore explained softly.

And Harry had another glimpse into the life that might have been if his parents had lived. It was a good home in the photograph, and a happy family. He gave the professor a sad smile, and thanked him.

"I looked through old school records as far back as I could for as many Potters as possible and for your mother, of course. I had old essays copied and included where I could. I also used my seat on the Wizengamot to look through Ministry archives and sources. There have been a surprising number of Potters in public service, and many who made interesting contributions to magical theory. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Hagrid and even Professor Snape helped me research, and Madam Pince had some remarkable contacts with information about book bindings. Professor Flitwick and I had an interesting time with some of the enchantments as well."

"It's enchanted?"

"In some ways, but I think that you may like to discover them yourself. It can also expand to include the history of your own life. I started with the particulars of your younger years, before your parents died, and used various sources for detail for some of your more extraordinary times with us here at school, but left you to tell the tale of your own history."

Harry was a bit puzzled at that. Dumbledore knew him quite well, so why didn't he just write what he knew?

"I'm your genealogist Harry, not your biographer. You're here to tell your own tale, and no one will know the detail as well as you."

Harry looked down again at the picture of his family. They had died, but he had lived. _Because _they had died, he had lived. He would and could write his own story, once he figured out more about how this chapter may end.

* * *

"Surprise!"

Harry's mouth was open in a circle of shock that matched the wide eyes taking in his party. Colin, naturally, managed to snap a picture.

* * *

Harry had been immediately surrounded by well-wishers for a few minutes. He had received some hearty slaps on the back, hugs and cheers. His face glowed, and his happiness was evident. Somehow, as always managed to happen with the Trio, Hermione and Ron had found each other immediately and were standing together, waiting for Harry to emerge from the crowd. He gave them his sheepish smile while Ron grinned and Hermione tried to smother a laugh. It didn't matter that he was officially an adult. When it came to his best friends, Harry was still that same boy. The three hugged each other, not caring at all who was looking on.

"Happy birthday, mate," Ron said.

"Happy birthday, Harry," Hermione chirped.

Harry put his family epic down on a table that was away from any food or drinks, looped his arms around his friends' shoulders and proceeded to steer them toward the punch as they began laughing and talking. Ginny joined them quickly, and soon enough the party was in full swing.

Dumbledore stood with Minerva, Moody, Tonks and Lupin as they looked on at the younger witches and wizards.

"There have been days over the past few years where I wondered if that boy would make it to his majority," McGonagall said to her companions.

"I worried about it more than you know, my dear," Dumbledore replied. He gave them a small smile, and then continued, "We've all worked and been anxious about it for years, and we've all been here protecting him. Look at Harry, really _look_ at him…he would have made it on his own."

"I wouldn't go that far, Albus. The boy isn't half as vigilant as he should be." This statement came from Moody, of course.

It was Tonks who spoke next, "He has enough people looking over his shoulder for him, especially at his own party. Let's just let him enjoy it."

"We should. And while we're waiting for Molly to bring out that cake, we can have Albus tell us exactly how he distracted Harry." Remus grinned.

"Hogwarts is full of distractions," the Headmaster evaded.

"Tosh, you had a plan all along," his deputy chipped in.

"Well then, let me tell you that Harry is an excellent bowler, but an appallingly bad singer."

Minerva smothered back a bark of laughter. "You have this on good authority?"

"Oh, naturally. But don't tell anyone about his lack of vocal ability. It was displayed in confidence."

"I would never!" his deputy replied.

"I would!" Tonks added in, laughing.

"In all seriousness, Albus, what did you do all day to distract him?"

"I suppose there is no point in evading your questions, since you will know soon enough. Aside from a day of amusements, I had Harry come to my office and we discussed how things stand now that he has reached his majority. The enchantments have fallen from his aunt's house, which is why he's been elsewhere for most of the summer. His mother can't protect him anymore. We talked about it quite a bit, and he said something during the conversation that was struck me as profound: _He can only act with the information he is provided_. In that spirit, and since he is now officially of legal age, I have offered Harry a full membership into the Order."

The thought of Harry finally immersed fully in Phoenix business gave the group a moment's pause. Things would be very different from here on in.

"It's going to be much harder leaving the others out if Harry is in, Albus," Remus pointed out.

"Look around you, boy. Albus isn't really preparing to leave them out! He's preparing to let the lot _in_." Moody was rather gruff and disgruntled. Clearly, he had not been consulted about Harry joining the Order so soon.

"I've made mistakes by underestimating the students before and by withholding information. They're too involved already. And if Harry, Hermione, and Ron are in the Order, then they need all the support and defence that we can manage. Look at the company here tonight; there are already students and friends ready to take up their wands against the enemy _now_. We need to continue to grow, because I can assure you, Tom is recruiting far more aggressively than we have been." The Headmaster sighed. "It was not as if I wanted the young people fighting this war, it was because I couldn't prolong their ignorance any longer. They would act according to their own wills now, not mine."

Minerva pressed her lips into a thin line. But after a moment to collect herself, she nodded slightly. The situation was what it was. "Let them enjoy this evening's festivities. Merlin knows, they'll have few opportunities from now on."

* * *

Severus had come into the Assembly Rooms just while the party was in full tilt. He entered as Hagrid was bringing a very large,white, frosted cake up to Harry, his face and the candles were lit up while his friends sang to him.

Harry blew them out as his friends cheered him on, and as Colin's camera flashed away. His face was flushed, his smile was open, and his eyes were merry. He looked like both of his parents at their very best.

Molly had really worked her magic on Harry's birthday cake, which was a vanilla flavoured, mini replica of Hogwarts. Dumbledore's eyes had twinkled rather merrily as it was brought in and the singing for Harry began.

Anyone who did not know Harry well, but had met him on the Quidditch pitch, in battle or amongst a group of boisterous Gryffindors or DA members might guess that he was a proud, confident, and very self assured young man. And yet, his closest friends were with him tonight, and he was more himself: quiet, somewhat shy, and not really a fan of the limelight. As the twins called out, "Speech! Speech!" he got to his feet rather nervously. The room quieted down immediately. Harry's voice was quiet, yet loud enough to carry, and a blush began up his neck as he spoke to his guests.

"Thank you everyone, for coming tonight. I can see how much planning and energy you have put into the party, and I am overwhelmed by all of your efforts." Harry looked around the room as he continued, smiling at the faces that were beaming at him. He paused, collecting his thoughts, and then continued on, "Six years ago, I came across an empty room that held an enchanted mirror at Hogwarts. When I looked into it, I could see my parents, and many people who looked like me. Professor Dumbledore later told me that the Mirror of Erised shows us our deepest and most desperate desires. For me, an orphan, it was to have my parents and my family with me." Here, Harry looked at Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, standing beside him and went on. "Somehow, since then, I have found myself surrounded instead with a new family. It started with Ron and Hermione, and grew to the Weasleys, Sirius, Remus, Professor Dumbledore and my friends from Gryffindor and the DA. When I looked in the Mirror back then, I didn't really have anyone; but I stand here today, and now I'm no longer alone. Thank you so much for that, because it is the best gift I ever received."

Harry gave his small, shy smile to his guests, and as they clapped for him, he was enveloped into a crushing hug by his girlfriend and two best friends.

* * *

The Headmaster had seen Severus coming in, and was beside him immediately. "Are you well, my friend?" he asked rather softly.

"It was a very brief meeting. Nothing of immediate importance. All is well."

"Are _you_ well?" Those blue eyes were upon him, looking carefully for signs of injury or strain.

"There is no reason for worry. I'm well, Headmaster."

A small smile reassured Albus. "Well then, try and enjoy the festivities."

Snape scowled. "A party to celebrate Potter is not my natural inclination for fun."

"Then I would suggest enjoying the company and the delicious food."

Snape suddenly recalled an errand he had run not so long ago. "I'm sure I can find something to amuse myself."

The Headmaster's smile drooped. "Severus…you haven't planned anything awful have you?"

"Of course not." Severus' expression was far too innocent for a man of his reputation. Oh, he'd done something alright.

* * *

Hermione had been with Ron and Ginny beside Harry for the singing and the cake cutting. It was good to see Harry so happy for once. He rarely spoke of his childhood, but she knew how rough his upbringing had been. There were few who knew what he had suffered, and it was probably only Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Dumbledore who knew much about it at all. The Weasleys had been determined to make this one day so special for him, and everyone who cared about Harry had done their part, from ferrying guests to decorating and cooking and keeping Harry from finding out. It had all come together quite well, possible memory charms or not.

Harry was conversing with Colin and Dennis Creevey concerning how to go about making a Wizarding photo album of the party. They had offered to make it for him, but Harry was genuinely interested in the process. After some discussion, it had been decided that the Creeveys would make the photos for the album, and show Harry how to make large blow-ups of his favourite pictures to put in his room. The "photography lessons" would commence at Hogwarts, although the boys had promised to send the album as their birthday gift to Harry as soon as it was ready.

It was during this talk about pictures and albums that Hermione had looked up and seen Snape and Dumbledore talking near the door. A bit of tension in her back, of which Hermione had been unaware, was released as she saw her teacher looking uninjured. She had been concerned since Moody had mentioned that Snape had been called that evening. His eyes met hers very briefly, and he inclined his head towards her. Hermione turned her attention back to her friends, and dug into her piece of birthday cake.

* * *

The twins had cornered Harry, Ron, and Neville in the corner and were discussing a _most forbidden subject_: the Head Girl pool. The Hogwarts letters were due any day now, and the betting was getting rather serious. Harry and Ron had finagled Remus into explaining the cloaking charm from the Marauder's Map to them, and they had tacked up the details of the pool in their room at Headquarters. Stats, bets and calculations covered one wall of the bedroom, unknown to anyone but Harry and Ron themselves. It was more intricate than any homework they had ever done.

The boys were also somewhat more sly than using an incantation as obvious as "I solemnly swear I am up to no good", and had settled for the embarrassingly Gryffindor, rather boastful, "Reveal yourself to me, one third of the Golden Triumvirate".

Ron had wanted to say Golden Trio, but Harry had the shrewd suspicion that Hermione would guess that rather quickly, but would fail to think of Harry and Ron getting a hold of a thesaurus. They were so keen on their new slogan that the boys were already planning on using it during their upcoming school year. Ron, in particular, thought that 'Triumvirate' legitimized their actions a bit more, and sounded, well…classy.

If Malfoy ever found out, there would be no end to the sniggering.

The twins knew that the boys were the Hogwarts bookies for the Head Girl pool and that the wagering had been heavy by the end of the school term. However, Harry and Ron had promised to show them the wall back at Headquarters, and the twins were getting a bit riled about it.

"I can't believe you have the secret of the secrecy of the map, which we gave you-"

"-and you won't share it with _us!_" they whinged.

"Do you know how much effort we had to put in to get it out of Remus? It took _weeks_ of work, cajoling, and Ron pointing out that it was a legacy that my father would have given me if he could have," Harry replied.

"And besides, it's not like you have any trouble getting into mischief and out of it again without it," Ron added, somewhat rudely.

"That's true-"

"-but you never know when these things may-"

"-come in handy".

Ron and Harry gave each other a look, and then Harry shook his head.

"Sorry guys, but no deal. We'll show you the pool, but we won't tell you the secret".

The twins had the audacity to pout until they heard the instruments begin a lively tune. The twins eyes met, and they grinned.

"I do believe we have not graced our good lady friends-"

"-with our dancing talents-"

"-in some time"

The boys swept off, grabbing a couple of the Gryffindor alumnis and began to dance in a manner that harkened to a seizure. For some reason, Katie and Alicia did not seem to mind at all. Harry and Ron watched for a moment, before they themselves were drawn into dancing as well.

* * *

Later, Harry had found himself placed in a position of honour in a fussy arm chair near the fireplace. Apparently, during the Assembly Hall's heyday, people couldn't bear to be comfortable, but the chair served its purpose.

At Harry's feet was a pile of birthday presents. From some of the assembled party, there were rather general things like sweets, cards and the like, but there were also some very thoughtful gifts. Aside from the glorious gift from Dumbledore, there were some interesting books from Moody ("think like an Auror boy!"); some hilariously charmed Wizarding items that were common to most teens and households, but which Harry had lacked until now, from Tonks; and an intriguing scroll holder from Kingsley, who told Harry that he would explain its properties later.

Neville had grown some potted plants for Harry, having heard in the last year that Harry's house was a bit dreary and could use some brightening up. Harry was pleased, especially when he found out that none would launch stink sap on him. The Delacours had given Harry some monogrammed French, linen shirts. Harry blushed, and Ginny glared when both Fleur and Gabrielle gave him a hug apiece and kissed both of his cheeks in the French style.

Ms. Figg had presented Harry with the album she had made throughout the years of Harry's childhood. It was full of notes she had made during his first eleven years, and the progress reports she had sent to Dumbledore. There were photos that were apparently taken secretly, through magical photography, during his visits for tea and whenever she had babysat him. Ms. Figg pointed out pictures of Harry as a toddler and young boy to the group around Harry's chair, who were full of commentary. She then went on to tell Harry, "We were looking out for you, albeit from afar, all along. I thought you may like to know that at least some of us watched your grow up in your parents' stead." Harry had stammered his gratitude, and gave Ms. Figg a hug and smile.

The Weasleys had clearly scrimped and saved a bit to buy him tickets to see the Chudley Cannons play. They weren't seats on the pitch by any means, but the thought was there: they wanted Harry to be able to do things that any young wizard would normally want to do. Harry had hugged them rather fiercely when they told him this.

Ron had managed to come up with a brand new text on Quidditch strategies and statistics. It was apparently _the_ hot Quidditch item for the discerning wizard. Ron's ears burned rather red when the twins quietly told Harry that Ron had let them use him to test their products this summer to afford it. Harry was extra-touched by his best friend's gift, knowing as he did the products those twins came up with, and even worse, what they scrapped when it turned out testing was futile. The twins themselves had presented Harry with a rather large package of premium WWW goods, specially tailored to Harry's 'character'. Harry hoped that meant not everything in it would be on Filch's list of banned supplies.

Remus had presented Harry with a rather small box, in which was a moderately tarnished ring. It had been James' once upon a time, and had been given to him by his own godfather many years before. For some reason, the ring had ended up in Remus' keeping, and had only turned up recently. Remus promised to tell Harry more about it later, which gave Hermione the distinct feeling that it was no ordinary ring.

When Hermione had given Harry the Foe-Glass, and explained its properties, Moody had nodded in approval. Snape smirked when Ron commented that the boys had worried about how she would top Harry's homework planner.

It was one of the last gifts which was the most curious. Harry had worked through his pile and came upon a rectangular gift that was wrapped in smoke-coloured paper.

As he pulled back the paper, a book's title was revealed: "_Salazar Slytherin's Art of Subtlety: A Reader of House Rules and Regulations"._

Harry was gobsmacked. He heard laughter to his left, and turned to see Snape smirking at him and his other teachers chortling.

"Take a hint, Mister Potter," the Potions Master drawled.

The teachers' laughter drowned out any response Harry could have made, as Hermione quirked an eyebrow at her team leader. Oh, she recognized the 'appropriate resource' he had been alluding to down in the lab. Snape smirked at her, a challenging sort of smile. Hermione knew when she had been played. Like it or not, it was a fabulous resource for Harry to use in the very near future. She'd see that they all read it. She gave him a curt nod in reply, before it dawned on her: Snape had given her the weapon of the enemy. And not just Voldemort. How many Slytherins in Hogwarts were likely to be playing by these rules?

An old adage came to mind: _If you can't beat them, join them._

She gave Snape a smile, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

Naturally, he scowled in response, making a mental note to find out what his assistant could be up to.

* * *

Author's notes:

For an idea of how the Assembly Rooms look, see ./main/w-030370-bath_assembly_, for the Rooms in Bath, England.

The phrase, "As good as, indeed," alluded to the scene in _The Order of the Phoenix_, when Sirius and Molly argue about Harry during his first night at HQ. Sirius accused Molly of being overbearing, and says "He is not your son", to which Molly replies, "He's as good as!" It was one of my favourite moments in the entire series, illustrating that although the Weasleys are poor in riches, they are rich in many other things. It was the point in the series for me, where Harry is understood to have a new family that he built during his years at school, which I used to write part of the conversation between Dumbledore and Harry in this chapter.

Now, I just want to say, I wrote about 4 different Chapter 10s. And they all took place at different locations. I tried the party at HQ, at the Burrow and at Hogwarts in the ROR and in the Common Room, but they all left things in a direction I didn't want to go. I got some great advice from wellyuthink, who told me to keep every version, but use the one that is best for these characters in this plot line. I was leaning toward Hogwarts, but didn't want to have _everyone_ know about the ROR, and I knew everyone wouldn't fit in the Common Room. Wellyuthink said, "Why don't you make up your own room?" And so I did. I took some liberties with the idea of the Assembly Rooms, as they would not have been out of fashion for long, to someone with a wizard's lifetime.,

In regards to why I thought this would be such an event I wanted to discuss: the 'age of majority'. I know that in many places, this is called 'coming of age'. However, I'm from Canada, and the legal term here is actually called 'reaching/attaining your majority'. When this occurs, your parents or guardians cease to have a legal hold over you (as you were previously a 'minor'), and you then are capable of taking certain actions which you couldn't previously, like marrying or voting. There's an excellent link to the phrase on Wikipedia: .org/wiki/Age_of_majority. I envisioned Harry having certain legal rights in the Wizarding World that he didn't before. More on that will likely come up in future chapters. To be clear, Dumbledore and Remus became Harry's guardians after Sirius' death (according to my story, around the time that Harry was 15). Therefore, they would have been responsible for him for about two years. But don't think that their opinions are no longer _relevant_ just because Harry is 17. Has your mum stopped nagging _you_ just because you're past your majority? Mine certainly hasn't!

Again, sorry that it took so long to get this chapter up. Parts of it have been in my head since I started the whole story.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

It happened like this:

Hermione had been absent from that lab for a few hours while Severus had remained, shuttling between the third potion and his calculations and notes on its properties. The problem with the potion was that, while the elements balanced in theory, their interaction appeared to need some sort of stabilizer. Severus was observing the potion in its stages, and analyzing each ingredient and its interaction with every other component in the mixture. His calculations were mathematically sound, yet something was apparently missing.

A rack of test tubes were full of the potion and its elements during different phases of brewing. Across the lab table lay various corresponding notations. In spite of the fact that Snape was a master of his craft, he found himself at an impasse. Not to be driven from his goals on this potion, he had decided to compile a list of supplementary ingredients to test, when suddenly his forearm burned. He sighed, hating to leave the potion at this stage in testing.

As he left the lab, Severus checked his watch: six o'clock. Odd. He exited Grimmauld Place and headed to the Apparition point, wondering as he turned in Disapparition, what his master could possibly want now.

* * *

Red eyes flashed within a skeletal face at Severus' arrival. Their owner looked down upon his kneeling servant, and began speaking in a high, cold voice.

"Would you care to explain why you were seen fraternizing with a known enemy, in Diagon Alley, for all to see?"

Ah. This was about Granger.

Severus bowed low from his position on his knees in respect as he began to explain, "My Lord, as you are fully aware, the Headmaster foists repellent activities upon me during the summer months."

"It's one thing to perform menial tasks for Dumbledore, and quite another to become affiliated with a Mudblood, Severus."

Snape paused. His Occlumency shields were up, naturally, yet he knew to tread carefully and not lie outright to his master. He would have to provide sufficient information and detail, without arousing suspicion, and without allowing his master to know that the Order had been spending its summer working on offensive strategy. Thankfully, there were no other Death Eaters present to note his back-pedalling.

"My Lord, over the vacation months, certain students are often under Order protection. Granger, the Weasleys and Potter are all to be escorted whenever they are out in the open."

"We've discussed this before, Severus, and the task has never really fallen to you. Get to the point, as I grow weary of your weak explanations," his master hissed in response.

"Very rarely I am appointed to ferry around the brats, as Dumbledore knows full well of our mutual loathing. Dumbledore does try to limit our contact, especially in public, as it would be difficult to explain. Recently, I was going to the apothecary, and the Mudblood in question had an errand to complete. Molly Weasley knew that I was set to leave for Diagon Alley, and I ended up having to take the Know-It-All with me."

"Any errand of importance?"

Severus schooled him features to be as scornful as possible, and levelled his voice into his most snide tone before spitting out the reply, "She was purchasing a gift for Potter."

Voldemort's tone was cutting as he retorted, "Ah yes, today is the day of that nuisance's majority! He has been a thorn in my side for far, far too long. Tell me, did she buy anything of interest?"

How to lie? If he was truthful, the Foe Pane would be useless. Voldemort would find sufficient defence against something of its like. What else had Granger bought Potter that he knew of?

"A homework planner."

Voldemort gave a cold bark of laughter. "This, from Potter's closest friend?"

"She really is insufferable, my Lord."

"Oh Severus, you always do have the most droll tidbits to pass on."

What was this, afternoon tea? He hadn't even been cursed yet, for Merlin's sake! Given the date today, Severus was getting a bit antsy, lingering in the Dark Lord's presence when his 'Master' should be utterly enraged, and remaining un-tortured was unheard of. Was something new afoot?

"Now tell me my friend, what of Potter himself? Any new plans? Does he know that his childhood home is no longer safe?"

"As we had previously discussed, the Headmaster was suspicious of what we may intend after Potter's majority. He may be an old, sentimental fool; but Dumbledore is no idiot. Potter has not been at home since the beginning of the summer vacation. He is safely ensconced at Headquarters, protected by the Order. He dare not remain with his relatives in such a vulnerable location now that his mother's magic has failed. "

"This is not unexpected." Voldemort broke off the conversation for a few minutes, seemingly collecting his thoughts before proceeding. Severus, already wary, remained exactly where he was kneeling, on the ground, before his master. He wasn't foolish enough to dare any gesture that may set off Voldemort's explosive temper.

Soon enough, the Dark Lord's attention returned to his spy. "I had other concerns, aside from Yaxley's report of seeing you in Diagon Alley that have been weighing on my mind. You've had a busy summer, and I don't mean by simply escorting students around London."

Severus held his shields in place, ready for a possible mental attack for information. His next move would be based entirely upon what his master knew, or what he _thought_ he knew.

"It would seem that you have been quite occupied this last month, and have not been available to your friends. Does all this time amongst Mudbloods and blood traitors make you forget what appropriate company you should be keeping?"

"I'm sorry, my Lord, I don't understand."

He had pushed his master a little too far. Severus felt a Striking Hex across his face.

"_Why are you not at Hogwarts?"_

Ah.

Ignoring the welt that was sure to be rising across the left side of his face, Severus answered, "Initially, after term ended, I was at Hogwarts. Once the end of year business had been concluded, Dumbledore approached me and requested that available Order members relocate to Headquarters for the summer."

"That brings about two more questions for you to answer then, my servant. Why did he want you there, and why did you not tell me _immediately_?"

"This has been our first conversation since the request was made. I would have told you as soon as you called. The Headmaster made the request because Potter is at Headquarters all summer, and needs to be 'protected' during his stay."

"Surely Dumbledore knows that his charms and defences have held? Why would Potter need additional protection?"

"Quite frankly, he is a troublesome little idiot. The brat needs attending like an infant."

"I can see you are as fond of him as ever."

"About as fond of him as you may be, my Lord."

Voldemort laughed again, the sound of which was absolutely harrowing.

Severus' jaw clenched to hear his master's amusement. He quickly calculated an advantage and added, "Babysitting has been quite disruptive to my brewing. The children had a record-setting number of accidents this past year and I'll be stocking the infirmary for a good majority of the summer."

That would keep his master out of the Order's potion plans, for a time at least. With any luck, it would also keep the Dark Lord from ordering any 'special brews' in the foreseeable future.

"Which illustrious Order members will be given the glorious role of babysitter, aside from yourself?"

Severus quirked an eyebrow to acknowledge his master's blow. "The more senior Weasleys are in residence to keep an eye on their brood. The wolf and other occasional Order members are also in residence, although their presence varies from day to day."

"Like McGonagall?"

"It would appear that seniority at the school does count for something. She remains at the castle, attending to her duties as Deputy, whilst I am stuck with her Gryffindor whelps."

"If you are so busy at Headquarters, then how are you to spy on Dumbledore if you are not in the castle?"

"The Headmaster stops by frequently. And in the meantime, I am improving my own position, and trying to gather information based on the members in residence."

"Intrigued as I am by your words, I'll advise you to tread carefully as you explain."

"As I said, I am still responsible for creating potions for Hogwarts use. And as the task has been exacerbated by both the dunderheads at the school over the last year, and by the brats underfoot now, I've been _assigned_, "he said this contemptuously, "an assistant."

Voldemort glared until Severus added, "The Mudblood herself."

"How _convenient_."

"She's an acceptable brewer, if an insufferable person. Granger has been accustomed to my presence in the laboratory. I'm hoping to build up a rapport with her over the summer that would create a reliable, direct source to Potter during the school year. You are aware that the boy detests me as much as I do him. By creating a solid working relationship now with one of his closest friends and allies, while we are stuck together at Order Headquarters, I would be establishing a basis of trust."

"You do think in the long-term, my friend. But do you honestly believe that Granger will just pass you information willingly? From what I hear, that little Mudblood and Potter are nigh inseparable, and she is known to be fiercely loyal. Do you think this is really a viable plan?"

"Just think of the benefit to you, Master, if I could turn her loyalty toward _me._ It will take time, but that is the one thing I currently have in abundance. Like Dumbledore, she's a trusting fool. Add in her natural respect for authority figures and her desire to please; and you have created an unknowing informant. Brewers work on long and tedious potions. Eventually, the only way to break the monotony is to speak to the available company. Granger is an insufferable know-it-all, ergo; there is no possible way that she could keep her mouth shut. Give her enough time, and she'll be talking."

"This is all very interesting, Severus. Continue as you have been, and keep me abreast of any developments."

"I do have one possibility of getting more information along the school year, through this source. Granger is the leading candidate for Head Girl. If selected, we will most certainly be sharing certain duties and patrols during the upcoming year. I had originally raised my objections to her appointment, but was essentially overruled. I believe Dumbledore will select her regardless. We should have ample opportunity in the future for private discussions where I may glean useful information."

"You're an excellent spy, and a true Slytherin, Severus. But I warn you, if this plan fails, and you learn nothing, you will have wasted your efforts and my time."

"Of course, my Lord. If I thought the plan would not be successful, I would never have begun, and would not feel confident enough to speak of it to you."

"_Look at me_."

Severus steeled himself, and then raised his black eyes to the red slits of his master. Images flowed from his mind to his Voldemort's: Dumbledore, at the end of the term, telling Severus that he would have an assistant; then flashing ahead to the Headmaster throwing Hermione's name across his retreating shoulder as the 'obvious choice'; Hermione working herself to exhaustion over medicinal potions in the lab; Hermione, babbling "_I should not have overstepped my bounds, but I was concerned for your well-being..."_

"It would appear that you have already made headway with the girl. I should not have questioned your intentions over the summer when Yaxley and Alecto brought your absence at Hogwarts to my attention."

"Carrow and Yaxley?"

"You were unobtainable by Floo at Hogwarts and no owls could track you. Yaxley has been trying to contact you."

"Well, the Headquarters are secret-kept. Only those who know the location, or who have been sent Owl Post from that location could be reached by mail."

"Indeed? You come when called, that's all I really need to know at this time. But don't forget your friends, Severus. I'd hate for you to become accustomed to such unsuitable company as that which Dumbledore provides. "

"Carrow is a useless lump, and Yaxley, a fool. I have no idea what they would presume to want from me, and quite frankly, unless that are passing along your wishes, I don't particularly care."

"Yaxley is well placed within the Ministry, as you well know, and Carrow follows orders without complaint. You could have worse company, Severus. In fact, you _do_ have worse company."

"Not by choice, my Lord."

Voldemort laughed before he moved along to a new topic. "And what of the old fool himself? What has he been planning with the Order?"

"Nothing of consequence. They wasted their time on trivialities, instead of planning their own defence, let alone any sort of offence. They are a useless bunch of Gryffindor fools."

"What sort of trivialities, Severus?"

"A birthday party, for Potter."

* * *

Now here he was, back from both the meeting and Potter's coming of age celebrations. Severus was lying across his bed at Grimmauld Place, every muscle in his arms and legs aching, both from brewing and from kowtowing to his dark master. After all the testing of potions over the weekend, followed by the meeting, and then having to put up with a party designed solely to fawn over Severus' most loathed student, the Potion Master's body was finally starting to protest. He had come upstairs to remove his cloak and grab a few parchments with equations on them for his work in the lab. The door was still ajar and unwarded when Severus had decided to flop onto his bed for a few moments to collect his thoughts before returning to his potions.

'_Just a few minutes of peace before I go back to work...' _Things had been a bit easier since he had come to Headquarters. Hermione was capable, and had slaved in the lab to pull her own weight with the medicinal potions. The potions master hadn't had to chug down the draughts to manage his workload. Yet, Severus found that today, he did not have his usual energy. Normally, even when exhausted, he would know what had to be done, and do it. Severus had drive. Where the flesh was unwilling, the mind was too busy, too ready to work until he literally crashed over his notes and grading. More often than not, he could be found asleep in the lab at four in the morning by Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, who completely took for granted that he could keep heaping role after role onto Snape. And Voldemort, who didn't care if his minions lived or died in his service, so long as he wasn't grossly inconvenienced.

It wasn't that he had had more roles designated to him over the last few weeks than he was used to; it was just that he needed a few days to get back on track. Snape was used to being a teacher, a Head of House, a spy for Dumbledore, a spy for Voldemort, a Death Eater, and a Potions Master. The only real addition was that he was an informal mentor at the moment to Granger. On the other hand, the amount of work she could do for him more than made up for him having to keep an eye on her and her work over the summer.

Snape was not a whiner. He believed in the British stiff upper lip, of brooding in silence, and of not dwelling on things he couldn't change. He was more than accustomed to exhaustion, and he probably brewed and imbibed more Invigoration Draught and Pepper-Up Potion than the rest of England combined. Thankfully, the potions did not have addictive properties, and by creating a slight variant of these potions decades before, Severus had refined each to last longer and be more potent than the standard dose.

Tonight, he was slipping. He had given nothing away to Dumbledore in the meeting (and there really was no immediate cause for alarm). But...usually around now he was at the school, tinkering in the lab, brewing, occasionally at meetings as his masters saw fit, but mainly keeping to himself. He missed the solitude. He missed Hogwarts, even. The quiet...the solitude...the lack of Weasleys...

Hell, he even missed having no reason to be targeted with a Striking Hex.

Severus threw his arm across his face and just let himself breathe deeply for a time. He wanted sleep so badly. Was it only this morning that he and Granger had squared off in the lab and each demanded that the other get some rest? Perhaps he should have taken more time instead of puttering in the lab.

Nothing moved in the bedroom but Severus' chest, rising with each deep inhalation of air, and lowering as it was expelled.

_Brewing to finish, notes to rewrite, analysis to complete, Granger's library trips to organize, catalyst to find..._

Even as he struggled to stay awake, his thoughts still spinning, Snape slipped into the arms of Morpheus and could do no more that day.

* * *

Hermione was currently far from Headquarters, and sleeping in the Room of Requirement with some friends from the DA. It didn't seem right to separate the current students and alumni into their houses, so after a quick word with Dumbledore, Harry had led his 'overnight guests' to the Room of Requirement, and wished for comfortable sleeping arrangements for a group of friends to use, after a night of talk and laughter. Aside from the residents of Grimmauld Place, Oliver Wood, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, the Weasley twins, Terry Boot, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, and Lee Jordan were all staying at Hogwarts for the night.

Neville was still grinning from all his dancing. For someone so clumsy in the lab, he was quite light on his feet. Neville loved to dance, and had clearly improved since the days when he stomped across poor Ginny's toes. Harry hadn't seen him so happy since the Yule Ball. There was just something with Neville and dancing! The younger Weasleys, twins included, had been busy that evening pranking other party guests, and George was still laughing at the expression on Oliver Wood's face when he had returned to his natural form after eating a Canary Cream. No one had told him about the Wizard Wheezes that were so wildly popular amongst the current student body.

Luna appeared to have taken quite a shine to Kingsley Shacklebolt during the party. Kingsley, having read the infamous Stubby Boardman article in _The Quibbler_ back in Harry's fifth year found himself amused by Luna's anecdotes and pleased with her company. They were on their way to being fast friends. Luna had recounted parts of their conversation to Ginny and Hermione, who could only look at each other and try to reign in their laughter while expressing their opinions on the admirable Mister Shacklebolt.

Harry had shown his genealogy study to his friends, and they had spent a lot of time within the Room of Requirement talking about how much work the staff had put into it, and listening to Harry talk about his day with Dumbledore.

Some of the guests were rather shocked that Dumbledore had spent so much time with a student, even if they had always thought of Harry as a favourite. Hermione, realizing how odd it must sound to those outside of the Order, whom she may not have already spoken to earlier, smoothed things over by explaining that Dumbledore was Harry's guardian, so naturally, they would spend time together outside of school. Trusting Gryffindors that the majority of the group were, they all seemed to accept the information at face-value.

The night progressed with jokes and conversation. The company had shared some details of what they had been doing all summer, and for those who had graduated and started careers, there was plenty of news to share.

Ron made Harry blush furiously by pointing out that this was Harry's first real 'sleep over', as he had never had friends over to visit at his aunt's house.

"Well, unless you count when Hagrid crashed into our hut on the Isle of Wight." Following laughter form Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who knew the story, Harry had explained to his other friends that his aunt and uncle had him hopping all over Britain in order to avoid his Hogwarts letters, until the half-giant arrived and personally hand delivered a copy to Harry, rather like a court order being served.

"Muggles are so weird," Alicia had commented.

"Oh it's not Muggles, it's just my aunt and uncle!" replied Harry, leading to another round of laughter.

"I can't understand why they wouldn't want you to go to a great school, and get trained as a wizard," Katie asked.

"You've got me; they've always been like that."

Hermione smirked as she interjected, "Isn't it obvious? Your aunt is a Muggle, and had a talented witch as a sister. She was jealous Harry! She _is_ jealous!"

"She hates magic, she couldn't be _jealous_."

"She hates being _excluded_; she hates not having what you and her sister had. It's really quite apparent."

"You know, I get what Hermione is saying, Harry. When you grow up and have really successful siblings, it's easy to feel left out," Ron added quietly.

Suddenly, a pink smoke cloud rose above the group. As it ascended toward the ceiling, it turned into water balloons, which began dropping on the gathering.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Ginny and Alicia cried as they were pelted with cold water.

"Sorry gang, but this was getting way too serious for a birthday party!" George added, laughing as his wand swished, and directed the smoke and balloons.

Harry and Ron dived at the mischievous twins, and began to wrestle with them, as their friends looked on. Lee laughed and joined the fray, which caused Oliver to jump in to help Ron and Harry, and before long, the entire group was involved in a wrestling-tickling tussle on the floor of the Room of Requirement, as shrieks of laughter echoed off of the walls.

* * *

Remus joined the students in the Great Hall for brunch the following day, along with several other suitable chaperons who were escorting the party-goers home. He had personally been assigned to return the Trio back to Headquarters immediately following the meal.

Once Ron finally crammed enough bacon in his stomach to qualify as an entire pig, the group had ascended the staircase leading to the Headmaster's office in order to Floo in private. Hermione was the first to throw the powder into the fireplace and return to Grimmauld Place, but she was joined quickly by the others. The boys were still laughing and chatting about the previous evening. Hermione quickly excused herself to go back to her research. Remus led the way to the library, and then asked Ron to give him a few minutes alone with Harry.

As the door closed, Remus turned back to face Harry and invited him to take a seat on the sofa. The buffet table just to Harry's right was overflowing with his gifts from the day before, which had been transported by an intrepid Order member earlier that day. Remus reached over and collected the ring he had given to Harry, placing it in his hands.

"I didn't have a chance at the party, but I wanted to tell you about this ring."

"I thought there may be a story involved, with the way you talked yesterday," Harry answered, a small smile on his lips.

"It's rather interesting that this ring was in my possession at all. Your father used to wear this ring all the time when we were young. His godfather, Bartholomew, had given it to him when he came to Hogwarts. I remember that your grandmother was a _trifle_ overprotective of your father, and she worried about sending him away to school. Knowing how impossible she could be, Bart had this ring made for James." A sad smile was on Lupin's face as he recalled long-gone days.

"When he used to come home on holidays, your grandmother would look James over and wonder at the fact that he came back in one piece, with all the trouble we used to get into, and mind you, your grandparents got as many owls sent to them from the school regarding our antics as other entire houses would receive. He'd get back at the holidays and could always get her to stop fussing by reminding her that he had his ring with him all the time."

"So it kept him safe?"

"In part. The ring is enchanted with some strong protective spells. Bart was Head of the Aurors' Office, you know. He was a great man, and a powerful wizard."

"Then what else kept him so safe if not the ring?"

"He still had the Marauders to watch over him...and Lily to lecture him, of course!"

Harry smiled to think of the women in his family keeping James in line. It sounded a bit like Hermione and Mrs. Weasley, actually.

"Oddly enough, James lost the ring sometime after school. I don't know how or where, but Sirius found it, and was going to give it back to James. Things... happened, and he never had the chance."

_Because of Voldemort_. Neither man said it, but the accusation floated about them regardless.

"How did you get the ring?"

"Do you remember after your fourth year, all that cleaning that Molly had done before your arrival?"

"And after! The boggart, the pixies..."

Remus chuckled. "Yes, well, it was quite a mess when we got here. Molly gave me some items to look over for curses, to make sure that they were safe. I didn't get around to everything that summer, and later, after Sirius died..." Remus' voice trailed off, and he stared at his hands for a few moments until he regained his composure. "I couldn't bear to look at his things. It was like burying James and Lily all over again. Last year, I finally got my act together, and gathered what I had in my possession. I saw the ring, and I remembered it on your father's hand. He always wore it. I'm sure it's in the pictures you have of him, if you look. It just seemed...appropriate, to give it to you today, when the protection from your mother wore off. I know that if they could, they would always have looked after you, they would have wished for you to be safe. If the ring helps you at all, it's what James would have wanted most."

Harry was stunned. In spite of the fact that a huge part of him hurt, just knowing that the last traces of his mother and her magic were gone, it was also heart-warming to know that his parents touched his life still, long after their deaths.

"My first year at Hogwarts, after the fiasco with the Mirror of Erised, I met with the Headmaster and told him that Voldemort hadn't been able to touch me." Remus' face flinched at the mention of the dark wizard before Harry continued, "I saw them there in the Mirror, and all I wanted was to be with them. Later, when I was in the Forbidden Forest, with Dementors everywhere, my Patronus was a stag, for my father. Dumbledore told me two things, and I think of them every time I'm in danger: the first was that love leaves its own mark, as when we have been loved deeply, we'll have a protection forever; and the second was that the dead that we have loved never truly leave us, because we find them in ourselves."

Remus reached over and grasped Harry's shoulder. "Both are true. You went to the Ministry, and Voldemort tried to possess you but couldn't bear it. Whether or not you are under Lily's enchantment, or wearing James' ring is irrelevant, when you remember that your mother and your father live in you."

Remus took the ring from Harry's palm and slid it onto his finger, where it belonged. A perfect fit.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hello everyone! I'm finding my way into connecting my broken up chapters into something resembling a more fluid plot. A lot of this due to my great beta, wellyuthink, who gives such terrific feedback. Even if she DOES think that the short form of Bartholomew should be 'Bert' instead of 'Bart' (you weirdo!)

I'm excited with this chapter and a few of the next ones that are starting to form now, because they're leading into the plot's purpose. You'll see more SS/HG interaction in the future as well.

To my reviewers, thank you so much for your comments. It's nice to get feedback on which plot points and interactions you thought were good and realistic, and it's great to even get suggestions that help me clean things up more in the story. So thank you very much, and please, go ahead and review!

Lastly, from my favourite part of this chapter, the scene with Lupin and Harry in the library: the two things that Harry mention to Remus that Dumbledore told him are (summarized) from HP1 pg, 216, and HP3 pg 312, both Canadian soft-cover editions.

I know this is a shorter chapter, but breaking off where I did felt natural. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Hermione had immediately gone from the Floo up to her room that she shared with Ginny. She dropped off the party clothes that she had worn the night before and the lounge-wear that the Room of Requirement had provided for the guests to relax in (after a lengthy discussion on why yoga-wear was comfortable, practical and so popular amongst Muggles). Explaining yoga itself was just too difficult for pureblooded Gryffindors to comprehend. Luna had seemed interested, in her own, dazed way, but the whole conversation had just given Hermione a headache that begged for the relaxation and meditation that yoga could provide. Unfortunately, with so many Weasleys present, she would never have the quiet in order to reach a state where relaxation or meditation would be possible. Bloody Gryffindors.

She showered quickly and went through a mental to-do list: _double-check that all medicinal potions are complete, bring coded shorthand notes on the information that the Potions team is researching (who was fool enough to travel around with Order documents for anyone to stumble upon?), look into Slytherin and stealth techniques, organize material for search of Ministry and school libraries..._

Hermione toweled off and dressed for work in the lab as she kept thinking about what lay ahead. Her first stop would be to go downstairs and assess what was required for the day, and then she would move through her tasks accordingly.

She quietly entered the kitchen, and was surprised to see both Dumbledore and McGonagall sitting at the table, sharing a pot of tea.

"Hello, Professors," Hermione said, politely, although surprised to see them. They had been at Hogwarts for the meal only a short time ago. Why were they here now?

"Good day, Hermione. We were just waiting for Remus, so that we could discuss some business. I do believe he is still with your friend in the library." Dumbledore was smiling benignly at her, which was not unusual. The fact that he was explaining himself to a student and non-Order member, however, was surprising.

_Almost Order member_, she corrected herself, recalling Harry's recap of his meeting in Dumbledore's office. _That_ had been interesting information to get a hold of, as with all the company present the prior evening, Harry, Ron and Hermione had had about ten minutes alone together all night, all of which Harry used to spill his guts on the most recent intelligence he had learned from Dumbledore. Ron had completely flipped his lid when Harry had told him that there acceptance into the Order was completely up to a majority ruling of the general Order membership.

* * *

"_Do you honestly think that my mother will ever allow any of us to enter? Think of all the time and effort she has spent trying to keep us out!" Ron exclaimed._

"_Well then we will have to plan carefully and apply to their sense of reasoning," Hermione responded._

"_Hermione, this is my **mother **that we are talking about, there is no reasoning with her," Ron said, exasperated with how things now stood._

"_Ron, it's the only way for us to make a difference now; the only way for us to get into the war, and to put an end to it! We just have to do our best," Harry said, for once being the calm one out of the Trio._

"_All I am saying is that our defence better be bloody brilliant."_

"_With your sense of strategy, Hermione's logic and general swottiness, and the fact that there is a prophecy saying that they need to let me in, I'd say we'll be fine," Harry said with a grin, while Hermione rolled her eyes._

"_Oh you already have the prophecy going for you, and you're already in! What are the rest of us to do?" Ron argued._

"_Think really, really hard."_

_Ron gulped, and looked at Hermione pleadingly. If he had to organize their case, they'd be doomed._

"_Oh alright, I'll draft it out over the next day, and Ron you can check into our strategy. Harry, you'll be there to recount what we have done together, and what worked, and what didn't. This will outline us both as assets; yet also show that we need the Order and its resources as well," Hermione outlined._

"_Like I told Dumbledore: we work best together." Harry smirked at his friends and they returned to celebrating Harry's birthday._

* * *

Hermione drew her wandering thoughts back into line. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were still looking at her.

Hermione had a lot on her plate, as she had her potions, her research and her entry into the Order to worry about. Her first stop was checking that the potions were done and sorted. The next stop was clearing today's schedule with Professor Snape and sorting out when she would be heading to Hogwarts to start her research. From there, she would get together a timetable for going to the Ministry archive and the other European schools of magic.

"I'm just heading to the lab to check on the last batch of medicinal potions from yesterday, before I look at ...researching other matters."

Dumbledore gave her a grin, clearly understanding her priorities for research at the moment.

Hermione wasn't fool enough to think that the Headmaster didn't know what she was up to. She addressed his grin and eye-twinkling head on, "You gave us two days, Professor."

"That I did, Miss Granger. I suggest that you clear up your scheduling with your team leader before you undertake any further steps in your investigation."

_Bollocks! I'll have to explain my research to Professor Snape! He is not going to want us joining!_

"I'd recommend fortifying yourself with a cup of tea before you attempt to broach the subject with Professor Snape, my dear." McGonagall was always so _rational_, and she was holding out a cup of tea to her student.

"Sit for a moment, and drink your tea," Dumbledore indicated a seat at the table opposite to his position.

Hermione took a long drink, and then asked weakly, "Any suggestions?"

"I always recommend as much patience as you can possible muster when trying to reason with Severus. He can be difficult, at times."

McGonagall started to choke on her tea with laughter. "Difficult? That's like saying the Weasley twins are a 'bit of a handful' or that 'Nymphadora is not blessed with the best motor skills'. Really Albus, she is asking you to say something _useful_!"

"You don't happen to have any nicely aged Scotch or rare potions ingredients to bribe him with, do you, Miss Granger?" Albus asked cheerfully.

Hermione couldn't help but join in McGonagall's laughter resulting from this remark. "I'm afraid not, sir."

"Well then, you only have two options: tell him the truth, and wait out his wrath; or, try to trick him, realize he is a Slytherin who will probably catch you out soon enough, _then_ succumb to his wrath and he'll know you have lied to him," the Headmaster explained.

As usual, no matter how she tried to deal with the situation, Snape was probably going to end up pissed off. _Damned if I do, damned if I don't._

"I guess honesty is still supposed to be the best policy, sir."

"Well then, I wish you the best of luck, as no matter what, when dealing with Severus, you will certainly need it, Miss Granger!" Hermione's Head of House poured her another cup of tea as she spoke, "You'll need another one of these too."

Dumbledore was highly amused by the conversation thus far. He had thrown the pair together for the summer realizing that the two were truly cut from the same fabric: bookish, brilliant, incredibly loyal, but absolutely dense about interpersonal skills. Albus had realized near the end of the last term that if there were two of his compatriots who needed a peer to relate to, it was Severus and Hermione. He wasn't about to lose out on a golden opportunity to establish some classic Dumbledore-machinations. Oh no, this was but only the beginning of his endeavours.

Just as Hermione was steeling herself to deal with the situation, Albus threw one last lump of fat into the fire.

"Professor Snape has not gone to the lab this morning. He's been upstairs in his room. I suggest you go and seek him out before you head off onto your own matters."

Hermione just blinked, rather stupefied by the suggestion.

"Albus, is that appropriate? Sending the child up to her professor's _room_?"

"Oh tosh, they have been working together all summer. It's not like Severus is going to try to take advantage of her _in Harry's house, the Order headquarters, under our very noses._ Don't be ridiculous, Minerva!"

Hermione composed herself. The Headmaster was right. She was an adult. She had _work_ to do. She couldn't just sit around all day waiting for her team leader to grace her with his company!

"I suppose I'll just be going then. Thank you for the tea, Professor McGonagall, and the input, Professor Dumbledore." Hermione stood and headed out the kitchen door. As she was walking down the hall, her teachers' voices floated behind her, out of earshot.

"Albus, what do you think you are doing? Really! Sending her up there, to a sleeping Severus is wholly inappropriate! And you know he will react _most_ adversely to her imposing upon him!"

"If you recall, I did initially suggest that she bribe him, as it always does put him into a better disposition."

"Be serious! He's going to be furious with her presumption!"

Albus smiled at his colleague before finishing his drink and placing the cup back on the saucer. "My dear Minerva, if there are any two within the Order and the school who need to learn to tolerate company and learn patience, it is those two."

"When you say 'tolerate company' all I hear in my head is 'matchmaking, matchmaking', Albus!"

"Oh I wouldn't go that far. They're both remarkably stubborn individuals. And, they are still, in essence, strangers. Severus can learn to enjoy her company and have Hermione as a friend at this point, but he would never allow himself the impropriety of becoming romantically entangled with a student."

"I should hope not!"

"Oh Minerva, don't be such a prude. Severus has been teaching for so long, that eventually, if he wants to become involved with someone from Britain, he'll probably have taught them or a family member. However, he would never trust anyone enough to let them in, if they didn't already know where his loyalties lie. You can see that in time, they'd be perfect for each other."

"Miss Granger is seventeen! Severus is thirty-eight!"

"You hypocrite! What's our age difference?

"It's not the same here, Albus."

"It certainly is. They're well matched. Just you wait and see."

"If I see you try _anything_ with those two, you'll be sleeping on the couch for so long, that you'll wish Grindewald had won, just so you can rest in peace." Minerva had a look on her face that dared her husband to challenge her.

"I would _never_ interfere in a colleague's private life!" Albus exclaimed, all affront.

"Allow me to refresh your busybody self's memory..."

* * *

Hermione went up the stairs, thinking furiously about how to approach her professor. She knew she'd be a fool to lie to him; he was a Legilimens for God's sake! But she also wanted to avoid as much of his explosive temper as possible.

What had he said to her yesterday in the lab?

"...Every year, he still chooses to be reckless, to not consider that his actions have effects on others. That people suffer for his lack of forethought. And it just happens that when your bratty friend is his most reckless, it's usually myself that suffers, and Albus who has to clear up the pieces. Think of that before you let him run off and doing anything crazy as he comes of age, Miss Granger."

Oh, she was thinking about it now. He'd also made a point of thinking like a _Slytherin_. Slytherins weren't necessarily selfish per say, but they did keep an eye out for personal gain. Perhaps if she illuminated the fact that Harry's actions being at least partially directed by the Order would temper his predilection toward illogical recourse. If he, Ron and Hermione were working through the Order, they were also bound by their rules, and would be responsible for action through approved channels.

Snape had to be all for _that_, especially since he had said that their recklessness had led to his suffering on more than one occasion.

Hermione plotted out her argument, walked herself through her speaking points, breathed deeply, and then rapped smartly on the door of Snape's room.

He didn't answer.

She knocked again. "Sir, it's Hermione Granger. I would like a word with you, if you please."

After receiving no reply, Hermione raised her fist to again strike the door, when she realized that it was partially ajar, whether from her knocking, or from the way her professor had left it. She waited another moment, and then pushed against the door carefully, opening it partway.

It was very dark inside.

"Professor? Are you there?" She paused from speaking again, entering the room slowly and quietly.

"Hello? Professor Snape?"

_To hell with this!_

"Lumos!"

Snape lay on his back, across the bed. He had clearly fallen asleep on the spot, as he was still fully dressed, boots and all. He looked both dead to the world, in his deep slumber, and also like he would be terribly uncomfortable.

Hermione suppressed her reaction to just leave. He would not get good rest as he currently lay. She flicked her want and murmured a charm. Her professor rose from the bed, turned in the air, and then lay back down in a more traditional pose for slumber. She flicked again, and his boots, his robe, and his frock coat appeared folded on a chair. With a final flick, the covers were drawn over Snape's sleeping form.

_This is becoming a habit._

Hermione smiled, in spite of her current situation. It was remarkably similar to their encounter in the library. Except this time, he was not waking up at all. She was grateful until she realized how her processor's face was drawn tight, even as he dozed. It did not appear that he was getting a restful sleep. Just as she would with Harry or Ron, Hermione's hand came up to smooth his brow. She did not know why she dared to even lay hands on him.

The tight frown eased with her touch. As her cool fingers stroked his skin, he inhaled deeply. She tucked the loose hairs back from in front of his eyes to behind his ears. Her hand palm grazed his temples. Severus let out as sigh as he slept. When Hermione withdrew her hand, he looked much more at ease.

_So many cares along his face. So much tension within his frame. Do we really contribute to his suffering? Do we really cause him pain?_

Hermione stepped away from his bed, then turned and withdrew from the room. She knew what she had to do in the future: help him carry his load as much as she could, and keep out of his way the rest of the time.

As she closed the door, she took one more peek at her professor, her eyes having now adjusted to the room's darkness.

_Becoming a habit, indeed._

* * *

He could smell her shampoo. It lingered in the air of his room, just as it usually did down in the lab.

When Snape learned that Hermione had again, come to his aid while he slumbered, he realized that he must have had made some great progress with her in his project to be a better man. He had wanted to know how the most open-minded of the population would deal with him, when he made an attempt to be civil, and here she was, taking care of him, like a friend.

It would seem that his potential to be accepted in the future by the more kindly-hearted wouldn't be quite as insurmountable of a task as he had thought. No, it would seem that the truly difficult part would be to make the meaner, general population accept him. And that would take tactics and subtlety. Good thing he was a Slytherin.

Snape leaned back in his bed and continued to think, his hands behind his head on the pillows. The current problem was dealing with Granger. He could see success could be had in making her his friend. But when Snape thought of having a friend, he couldn't help but feel a knot in his stomach. Something similar to wanting to vomit. Snape didn't have _friends_. They were loud, intrusive, and they touched his belongings. Granger would want to touch his _books_, for Merlin's sake! He shuddered at the very thought. He couldn't quite let her attentiveness go unchecked either. He had to let her in slowly, and even then, on terms he could handle. There would be no lending of rare tomes, and no mollycoddling!

The current information from his little study would require some thought. Granger was the best case scenario, but then he'd have to put up with her. Constantly. Who else could he try warming up to, to collect more data? There was Molly and Arthur...maybe Nymphadora. Scratch that, she was insufferable. He'd rather be friendless. Kingsley was tolerable. And as an Auror, he'd be a solid ally. Hmm. He'd have to wait for the next large Order meeting and sort the company into possible categories.

It was always good to have a plan of action.

* * *

Hermione had been down in the lab, behaving in a surprisingly Slytherin manner. If her team leader was going to just leave his notes around, of course she was going to _read them_!

So this was what Snape was working on, this mysterious third brew. The working name he was using was the Shifting Solution. Its purpose was classic Snape: sabotage. The ability to shift between forms was a gift only given to the very rare Metamorphmagus. Snape was attempting to duplicate the result to use in espionage and attack, from what Hermione could tell. His notes awed her. He was so much more clever than she had ever contemplated. His mind was a dazzling gift that had been given to the Order when he pledged his allegiance. After reading his notes, getting inside his head...she was humbled, like never before. Hermione had been called the brightest witch of her generation. But compared to him, she was the brightest of a generation of Longbottoms. She had never felt as intellectually inconsequential as she did when she read his brilliant research.

And yet, even Snape was stuck. But what could she know, what could she think of, that this genius had not?

It was something to ponder while she set out to research at the Hogwarts Library, and through any other archives that she may examine that summer. Anything that could help this man, help him achieve his goal, she would do. Even if her part was stumbling across one thing that he may need in the entirety of this potion, she would have helped. It was no small thing to be assisting such a mind as his.

Hermione put his notes back where they had lain. All of the potions for Pomfrey had been labeled and put carefully into a crate to be sent to Hogwarts, and she was going there today anyway to start on her various projects. Taking the potions to the Hospital Wing legitimized her visit, without her having to delve immediately into why she was at the school. And if she could come up with anything to help the Trio get into the Order and maybe start doing some background reading into Severus' research (she had copied the bibliography) well, that was just downright Slytherin of her, and as the master spy and head of that house, he should approve, if no one else would.

Hermione took a careful look around, and then headed upstairs and into the library. Even if he appreciated her sneakiness, Hermione wasn't fool enough to think that her little jaunt to Hogwarts without her team leader's approval was going to make him a happy camper. She'd do her damnedest to have some excellent results from her labours to make her trip worthwhile.

'_It really was the only way to shut him up'_, she thought as she stepped into the green flames and spun away to her school.

* * *

When Severus finally made it down to the kitchen to grab some coffee before heading to the lab, he was greeted to a very similar sight as his student: there sat Dumbledore, McGonagall, and also Remus Lupin. Each was settled in with tea and biscuits and seemed to be chatting leisurely with one another.

"Hello Severus! How was your rest this fine morning?" the Headmaster queried.

"I lost half the day dozing, which is a complete waste of all our time."

"Oh tosh, you haven't looked this rested in ages," McGonagall interjected.

"For the love of—"

Dumbledore cut off Snape before he could continue, "I have told you time and again that you are working too hard. You need to start resting more. You working yourself to death is not worth the risk. It takes one second of you being exhausted for Tom to slip under your shields. So don't you get furious with us for being thankful that you finally got some well-deserved rest!" The twinkle from the Headmaster's eyes was gone, and a stern look was on his face. Snape was not going to win this particular argument.

"Well said, Albus," Minerva added, not caring at all that her colleague was scowling at her.

"Anything to add to this delightful subject?" he sneered toward Lupin.

"Not a word, Severus."

"Thank Merlin for small miracles." Snape sighed, and collected a cup from the shelf and poured himself some coffee from the carafe on the counter.

"How goes the potion research?" Remus asked, congenially.

"Two are going fairly well, but the third...there has been some difficulties with," Snape admitted.

"Oh?" The headmaster's comment was concise, but illuminating his interest. It wasn't often that Severus was ever stuck on something potions-related.

"The shifting solution is arithmetically correct, and yet it does not produce the desired result. It seems to be missing some sort of binding agent that would activate the catalyst. I'm not sure yet what element may be missing. If I add another ingredient, I'll have to change some of the other elements to get the same arithmantic balance..."

"Hermione excels in Arithmancy, maybe she could help?" McGonagall suggested.

Snape groaned. "Are you suggesting that she, a student, would see something that a _Potions Master_, could not?"

"Piffle! I'm saying when you figure out what is missing, and have to re-set the ingredients by arithmantic principle, that she could handle that for you, as it's her forte."

Snape considered this. He would have to figure out what was missing first, but the he could shunt some of the grunt work to his assistant. The idea did have some Slytherin appeal. Dumbledore smiled as he watched his friend consider the possibility of Miss Granger's assistance. He could clearly tell what direction Snape's thoughts had headed toward.

"Indeed." Snape too, could be succinct in his acceptance.

"Well, perhaps you could run the idea by her this afternoon? Someone is going to have to go and collect her from the library if we don't want her staying at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer!" Minerva chuckled at the thought. Her favourite student would kip in the library if possible.

"She went to Hogwarts?"

"She did try to get your approval for the trip earlier, as her team leader. Alas, you were unconscious. I think she interpreted your snoring as approval for her jaunt."

"First of all, I do not snore—"

"You do, like a saw on wood, I can hear it from across the castle," McGonagall teased.

"And second, I didn't clear what area of research she should be focusing on first, and we have many projects currently on-the-go in the lab..."

"I gave her a...suggestion...as it were, for her marching orders," Dumbledore stated, and that damnable twinkle was back in his eyes.

"Why do I have the feeling that I am going to be most upset when I meet up with my erstwhile assistant?"

"Because you are no fool, Severus Snape." McGonagall's eyes twinkled like her husband's. Remus just tried to not laugh out loud and further irritate Snape. Unfortunately, he failed, and a small snicker escaped his lips over his tea cup.

"Oh shut it, Lupin."

With the last word said, Snape swept out of the room, his stolen rest long forgotten.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

This chapter is a bit of patchwork. It has some stuff in it that I needed to get added in order to move forward and get to the meat of the story. It's unbeta'd. My poor beta is backlogged. I'll put the beta'd chapter up to replace this once she has had a chance to finish it (no rush, Jen!)

I wanted to add...foreshadowing. Albus is going to be keeping an eye on our pair...and Minerva is keeping an eye on Albus keeping an eye on the pair. It's a bit early for him to put his oar in, but that doesn't mean he isn't looking for an opportunity to do so! Next up: Hermione heads to Hogwarts Library and gets busted by Severus for sneaking out of HQ without her express permission (remembering of course, that this summer, if only, he is the boss of her). Lots of HGSS coming up! Stay tuned!

REVIEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!


	13. Chapter 13 Part One

_Disclaimer: What you recognize is JKR's._

Chapter 13-Part One:

Hermione was a busy bee. She was a busy bee with a load of research to finish before Snape swooped in and blew a gasket when finding her in the Library.

Plus, Hermione LOVED making lists.

Some witches love boys (*cough* Lavender *cough* * cough*), some witches loved Quidditch, and some witches even loved Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. But Hermione loved the satisfaction that came with organizing and categorizing one's thoughts. It was why her essays were so well constructed.

Today, Hermione had begun with brainstorming a Pros and Cons List in regards to the Trio's Order membership. It looked like this:

Pros:

1) We would be informed of what You-Know-Who was up to, instead of guessing:

-Would avoid situations like the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Triwizard Tournament (well, one would hope the Order members would see the signs) and the Department of Mysteries debacles

-Therefore, we would not be recklessly running into traps, as per usual

-Would not have to come up with half-arse plans, also as per usual

-Order would not have to scramble to save our arses

-Professor Snape would not be tortured for our actions

2) We would have Order resources and backup:

-See previous note about avoiding half-arsed plans and traps

3) We would be working under Order directives:

- Could communicate with Order before taking action

-Assumingly, will be bound to follow Dumbledore's orders

-Assumingly, following Order protocol/procedures

-Have Order members experience and opinions, as well as resources when needed

4) As the only members of the Order at school, may be able to attain information that others cannot; while also keeping track of students affiliated with Death Eaters and You-Know-Who (example: the Slytherins knew ahead of time about the Chamber of Secrets, the Triwizard Cup, etc)

5) Bring experience fighting DEs and You-Know-Who:

-focus on experience, not on having arses saved at Ministry by Order members

-Harry has ability to sense/feel Voldemort. This may be a weapon that is currently overlooked

-Could Harry be trained by the Headmaster to Occlude when necessary, but also open up when not? Research and speak with Professor Dumbledore

6) Harry, Ron and I have successfully guarded each other's backs for 6 years, with great success. Why break up a winning combination?

-Troll, Mirror of Erised enchantments, Triwizard Tournament preparation, Shrieking Shack/Remus situation (sans hexing Snape), DA, Ministry of Magic, etc.

7) Sheer determination to win, so we might as well have it directed in the right place

8) Order could harness the fact that we're already involved and going to fight anyway. At least this way, they know what we are up to!

9) Prophecy (does the Order know?)

10) No one else suffering for our actions:

-Prevents various Order members from following after us, and putting them at risk from trying to save us

-See previous notes about Professor Snape

Cons:

1) Weasleys already have almost all their family in the Order, and are very strict against minors joining the Cause whilst in school (if at all, at this point)

-Could very well upset Ginny to be the only Weasley not allowed in the Order, which could lead to problems in the Weasley family, the DA, and at school

2) We're rather known for being reckless to the point of self-destruction (and in Harry's case, if we go down, the Order may lose the war. See: prophecy)

-We don't always think things right through before we act – Order members are sure to bring this up, therefore, counter with the fact that if we were in the Order, we could consult with members who might be able to spot flaws in plans that we may miss, or suggest safer courses of action

3) We're still in school. This could limit our usefulness to the Order in the next year

4) People get hurt when we get involved. Ginny in the Chamber; the DA, the Order, Sirius at the Ministry; Professor Snape, constantly

-we seem to attract the attention of the Dark Lord more than other Order members, aside from Dumbledore

5) Will have several strong objectors who are already not confident in our abilities (Alastor Moody, Professor Snape, Weasley family (age-based, not talent-based) :

-Some may see us as lucky trouble-makers, who do not know us or our abilities very well

-Could this be twisted to our advantage? If trained we'd be an unknown factor, talent-wise. DEs may not expect strength in students? (If so, move to Pros)

-Conversely, we really may be liabilities out in the real world of the war, as opposed to the insulated community of Hogwarts

So far, the Pros outweighed the Cons. Although there _was_ the con that the Trio might be murdered by Snape for even _thinking_ of joining the Order. Maybe he would be inclined to only take down his assistant ahead of time for her presumption. In that case, when Snape found out what Hermione was up to today, at least her two friends would have the time and energy to get away from the mad professor...

Hermione refocused after she had read through her list one last time. She would show it to Harry and Ron, and they would plan their strategy for speaking to the Order based on these plot points (,) and the other approaches that Harry and Ron were working on today. Hopefully, Hermione's list would help prepare them for the backlash bound to happen at the meeting. If they prepared themselves for the best _and_ the worst reactions to their induction, hopefully they would be ready to give persuasive counter-arguments.

Hermione then looked at her next point of research: Slytherin tactics. Harry had that goldmine of a handbook waiting for her back at Headquarters, so actually researching the House of Slytherin was not yet necessary. Hermione had instead focused on what she knew of Muggle spying and stealth techniques. What she couldn't utilize directly, like surveillance cameras, bugs, computer search tools and so on, may have magical equivalents that could be useful. If Hermione felt that there was Muggle equipment that couldn't cross over to magical usage, she'd just create her own.

Hermione had decided that she was going to look into surveillance, counter-surveillance, communication, concealment, and interrogation. Hermione had been hesitant to add the last to her list, but quite frankly, they needed to learn to extract information from sources, both willing and unwilling. Hermione made a promise to herself that if the Trio pursued this avenue, they would never, ever, utilize torture for interrogation. There was _always_ another way, in her opinion. Morality was what separated the good guys from the bad guys, even in wartime.

She moved on to her next point of research: Snape's third potion. She had read his notes, but she really needed his background reading, if she wanted to try to get to the same headspace that he had been in when creating the potion to date. Hermione roamed throughout the Library, pulling the texts that had been mentioned most frequently throughout his notes. She had to be a bit selective, choosing only five tomes at this point. There was no point in letting Snape know that she had pawed through his notes and was trying to help him...behind his back. It was a sure way to piss him off. Snape didn't seem to really appreciate having her help him yet, so she would have to make her first attempt at subtlety. She'd take the books back to Headquarters and start reading them. Hmm. It may be a good idea to grab some Herbology and Potions ingredients books, so she could think of whatever else may be useful in the Shifting Solution. She'd have to get to that area of research on her own time.

Now, while she was still here, what other _legitimate_ research did she have to do for her team? Hermione was still looking into magical methods of transportation for her team, as well as the potion regarding the Death Eaters going through their experiences again. She had some good ideas, but they needed to simmer in her bushy brain for awhile before she got any further, and she would need a few library books to connect some of the points together. At least Snape couldn't fault her for being at the Library, studying topics he had specifically asked her to research!

* * *

He had the clear advantage, knowing the castle better than she did, having lived and taught here for more than two decades. She may love this library and its shelves and texts, and could identify them as easily as her own name, but Snape _knew_ Hogwarts.

It was all too easy for him to slink into the Library, draw up behind her and look at what she was doing...all without her realizing he had even arrived.

Of course, once he caught the title of her list, he immediately proceeded to throw a fit.

"You miscreants will join the Order _over my dead body_. Do you know how much effort it takes to keep your ungrateful hides safe when you aren't _trying_ to do anything dangerous? Can you even comprehend how impossible it will be if you are actually making an effort?**"**

Hermione tried to calm her racing heart. His sudden appearance had caused her to fall out of her chair, and then jump to her feet while simultaneously drawing her wand. When she realized who was in her company, she sheathed it immediately.

"You bloody _Lethifold!_ You scared the shit out of me!"

"Language, Miss Granger! And you clearly would not be so flustered if you did not suffer from a _guilty conscience."_

"You're right. I'm guilty...of ignorance. I didn't realize that doing research in a Library was a capital offense."

"When your research is about having those two idiots accompany you into Order membership, I'd say that is downright criminal!"

"Well, we'll let the general membership be the judge and jury on that, shall we?"

"We most certainly shall not! You will sit right back down and explain why you would even _think_ of trying to gain membership into the Order whilst still a child in school!" Hermione slammed her bum back into the chair, but glared up at him, not easily cowed just because he was pulling a bitch-fit.

"Whoa, back it up there, Professor! Maybe you _missed_ a few little confrontations in the past years that show that we most certainly have never been the average children attending Hogwarts. And I'm seventeen years old, eighteen in September. That's legal adult in this world, and more than capable of using my wand in the war!"

"Oh please, spare me your dramatics! The three of you have been getting into sticky situations that the rest of us have had to clean up for _years_. You brats have caused more problems than you ever thought you have solved." Snape was looming over her now, his nose nearly against hers, eyes flashing in anger. His right hand was over the back of the chair as he leaned in and spat the words at her. He was in her personal space. He had taken over her personal space. Hell, he was her personal space by now.

"Get out of my space, and we can talk about this reasonably."

"The only reasonable recourse is to get this bout of idiocy out of your head. _You. Aren't. Joining._"

He was going to be difficult about it. She really shouldn't be surprised. He was Severus Snape. He was Emperor of the Land of the Difficult and Obstinate. Well she wasn't going to take his shit sitting down. Figuratively OR literally. She lurched to her feet, and drew herself up to her full five foot three height.

"Like it or not, we're in this war!"

"You can take this ridiculous list**"** – he grabbed it up off of the table – "and burn it for all I care, because you three will never be in the Order, especially while you are still students. _No one joins the Order who is still a student!_ What possible use could you be to us while still untrained minors? You're a pure liability, that's what! I won't allow it!"

This time Hermione got right up and into his face, even though she had to stand up on her tippy-toes. "You are my professor, _not_ my father, you have no right to grant or deny permission! Now give me my list back!"

Snape narrowed his eyes. If she wanted to play Quidditch, he'd play Quidditch! "Let's have a glance at this list of your _attributes_, shall we?" His voice was dripping with venom and sarcasm. It really was a feat of elocution.

"We would be informed of what You-Know-Who was up to, instead of guessing. Yes, because the three of you being gifted with information has worked _so successfully_ in the past. Oh and look, you so helpfully listed some of the counter points: running into traps, half-arse plans, Order scrambling to save our arses. Well those points are all at least valid." Snape's eyes narrowed at the mention of his own position on the list, but refrained from comment, mercifully. Instead he skimmed ahead to the next points.

"We would be working under Order directives. Could communicate before action, follow procedures –ha, like you have ever listened to your betters! – have Order members experience and opinions, as well as resources when needed. Where in this section are you being at all useful to _us_, I wonder?"

"If you weren't reading so selectively, you would clearly see that we would also be bound to follow Dumbledore's orders, so we would work in whatever capacity was necessary-"

"I can tell you right now that many of his ideas are completely mad, and need to be on occasion , taken as suggestion, rather than as orders...and saying you will follow blindly doesn't make you an asset to the Order, it makes you a _sheep_. And we really have no use for bleating at Order meetings," he said snidely.

"Bleating? Now you listen here, Professor-"

"-Oh, I have no intention of you expanding upon your already ludicrous notions. Now let's see what other gems of reasoning Hermione Granger has decided to notate here... 'Bring experience fighting DEs and You-Know-Who', well, that is the point in fighting a war, isn't it? And you do have a history of sticking your noses where they don't belong and causing even more work for the rest of us...and again, look at how helpfully you have set up a counter-argument! 'Focus on experience, not on having arses saved at Ministry by Order members'. Well, at least you have learned to recognize that we have been saving your unthinking, ungrateful backsides."

"That was not how I meant it! You are being deliberately obtuse!"

"I'm being obtuse? I tell you the same things over and over, and you chose never to listen! That's not just being obtuse, that is being wilfully ignorant. How many times do I have to tell you three to keep your heads on you schoolwork, your bodies in school, away from harm, how many times do I have to _save your ass_ before you finally get that I am not the villain of this piece, and have been trying to keep your dunderheaded selves away from the Dark Lord?"

"I realize that, but, sir-"

"But nothing! And how many times today will I have to tell you that _you are not welcome or ready to be in the Order_? Take a hint already, Miss Granger!"

"You haven't even looked at the rest of the Pros, list, which shows that we are clearly capable of handling ourselves-like successfully guarded each other's backs for 6 years' amongst great obstacles."

"I also noticed that you so carefully added 'Shrieking Shack/Remus situation, sans hexing Snape. Nice to know that you can so easily overlook hexing an innocent person in order to get what you want, without any need to even apologize about that in the future."

"You would have sent him to the Dementor! We had no choice!"

"The five of you against the one of me couldn't convince me to take a few minutes to listen, even at wand point?"

"You were completely unreasonable! There was no way we would have changed your mind-"

"And then for me to come to a few hours later, with a concussion from head trauma, completely unrelated to a triple Stunner..."

"Ok! I'm sorry! I'm sorry that you are such an unreasonable git that we had to hex you, and didn't levitate you ourselves!"

Snape's eyes narrowed at her words. "Perhaps next time, I'll leave you to a full grown werewolf, and just kick back and find your remains the next day."

"Professor Lupin was still human when you entered the Shack. And Harry and I faced him in his were-form by ourselves _anyway_, and still managed just fine!"

"Perhaps before you get so smug, you can ask Lupin how he felt from having been loose in the Forest, and having nearly bitten the two of you. Actually, I think I may have a Pensive around somewhere, perhaps I can show you that vivid memory. After all, it was exactly why he resigned."

"He resigned after you told your precious Slytherins what he was!"

"I only told them what he was _after_ he had tendered the resignation. And because I did not trust him with the students under my care any longer. So yes, as we Slytherins believe that knowledge is the best way to arm ourselves, I told my _precious Slytherins_ what they needed to know in order to defend themselves, if necessary."

"Once you blabbed his secret to the student body, he lost any chance at decent employment! The students told their families, and you know the Wizarding World treats acknowledged werewolves like second-class citizens!"

"He is what he is, Miss Granger, and if any employer had half a brain, they would notice when his monthly 'illness' took hold, and put two and two together to discover his condition. But we digress; let's get back to your list, shall we? It is proving to be so _entertaining_."

Hermione lunged for the list, but Snape held it above her body in one hand, and held his other arm out to stave her off from making any attempts to snatch it away.

"Harry has the ability to sense/feel V-uh, the Dark Lord. This may be a weapon that is currently overlooked. I can assure you, it has not been overlooked. As someone who regularly has the Dark Lord rifling through his head, I can tell you that it is no picnic. And to keep your secrets safe, and actively _exploit_ the Dark Lord's thoughts would take a degree of control that your idiot friend simply does not have."

"Harry has pushed out You-Know-Who –"

"-Not when it counted. Not when the Dark Lord was actually trying to show him what he wanted. Potter went because he was _tricked_. And it took the Dark Lord almost zero effort to have your friend skipping off to save that _dog_...but again, I digress. Let's just agree that as someone with infinitely more experience in Occlumency and in dealing with the Dark Lord, that for once, you can actually _trust_ my opinion to be _fact_. The last thing that any of us needs is for Potter to actually start _trying_ to open his mind to the Dark Lord-"

"It just seemed like an avenue to research that may have been overlooked...."

"Of all of the ridiculous things on your list, it is by far, the most absurd. Congratulations, you sound more ludicrous than Gilderoy Lockhart."

Hermione reddened. Primarily, because she was insulted at being compared to a no-account, all flash-no substance pompous monstrosity of a wizard, and secondly, because she had had _such_ a crush on said monstrosity.

"Well well, speaking of egos, let's see your next entry, ah yes, apparently, the Golden Trio has 'successfully guarded each others' backs for 6 years, with great success. Why break up a winning combination?' Why indeed? Maybe because in your first year, it was Dumbledore and I bailing you three out? Or maybe you forgot that I headed off Quirrell at the Cerberus or prevented him from flinging Potter from his broom, and that Dumbledore came after that idiot at the Mirror? That in your second year, several students were cursed, including _you_; that in your third year, Pettigrew managed to evade five wizards in order to return to the Dark Lord and give him a helping hand back into corporeal form? That in your fourth year, Diggory died, and that Black followed in your fifth? In fact, the only year low on fatalities was really the one where you three laid low, under orders? Yes, your sixth year was a blessing to those of us who nearly get offed annually trying to save your 'winning combination'."

By the end of his diatribe, Hermione wasn't sure whether to laugh at his arrogance, cry from his scathing comments, or throw more things at him out of sheer frustration with his obstinacy. The pig-headed git.

Snape sensed her moment of weakness and decided to hone in and press his advantage. "Why don't we move forward beyond the rest of the tripe on this side of the list and look at the cons that you have so thoughtfully provided, yet again. Well, first of all, I don't care a fig about Ginevra Weasley's feelings, and...hmmm."

Hermione was wary. His 'hmmm' did not bode well for her movement.

"Well, aside from the Weasley commentary, I agree with all your cons. You basically summed up a pretty foolproof set of reasons to keep you out of the Order. It appears that my work here is done."

Hermione wasn't going to just let the matter go. Oh no, not at all. And since Snape had failed to mention one recurring point on her list, she decided to press it home herself, sensing an advantage of her own.

"I notice you haven't said anything about my remarks for your personal safety. After all, we had that discussion recently in the lab about the cost of our actions. Wouldn't you be relieved to not be in physical jeopardy from our actions?"

Snape had noticed the number of entries related to his personal safety. He put aside the rolling of emotions that flooded through him at the thought of why this mattered so much to her. He couldn't let her see that the list affected him at all, or she'd never drop this line of inquiry.

"For once, I see that you actually paid attention to what I have said. But do you think that my personal safety is worth the cost of the war? If Potter fails, we all fall. Do you understand? His survival equates to the Light's survival. We can't afford for your friend to rush off whenever he feels like it, or whenever the Order needs a very junior member for a mission. _He is not expendable_, and as such, he should be kept away from any action!" He tossed the roll of parchment with the list on it upon the nearest table, which Hermione dived for immediately, grasping it to her breast.

"And how is he to gain the experience necessary to defeat the Dark Lord, if he can't even face the Death Eaters? How is he supposed to take down the darkest wizard of all time, if he can't handle defending himself from minions?"

Snape's head reeled back, as if slapped. "Did you just call me a _minion_?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, before retorting, "That is not what I am arguing here, so let's stay focused. This isn't about _you_, it's about Harry, Ron and I. We _need _to join the Order, and we think that the Order needs us too!"

"You're children, for Merlin's sake! You'd be lambs to the slaughter! _What do I have to do to make this clear???_" Snape's eyes were furious, and he and Hermione were practically nose to nose as they shouted at each other. If Madam Pince was not on vacation, she would have died of shock at the never-before-heard noise levels in the Library.

Hermione clenched her teeth, so frustrated was she that he would not even conceive of the Trio as capable in any extent.

"You saw the list; you know what we can do! And we could learn to do much more, if there were only those willing to train us! Will you just _attempt_ to look it over, with a _slightly_ open mind? Could you manage, just once, to relate to us, on a basic human level?"

Snape cut back in a furious hiss, "Relate to you? I find that inconceivable, because as I have said, you are _children_, whilst I am an adult! I can fight in this war, as I am trained, competent and _grown_! The three of you are nothing but liabilities!"

Hermione had had it. She threw the roll of parchment at his head. Snape's reflexes were, unfortunately, excellent. He caught the scroll, with a scowl.

"Read the goddamn list!"

"I've already read your blasted list! I highly doubt that a second perusal will change the fact that the three of you are too incompetent to join the Order!"

Hermione lost it. He had pushed her too far. She could no longer act like a mature candidate for junior-Order membership. She began throwing things at her professor.

"You, sir, are an utter _bastard!_ I cannot believe that I have spent so much time defending a close-minded imbecile too caught up in his own _ego_ to see other strategies and weapons that were forming right before his eyes!" Hermione punctuated her rants by throwing ink pots, rolls of parchment, and her rucksack.

"Oh please! As if the three of you could strategize your way out of a cauldron!"

"Ron strategized our way across the giant chessboard, I figured out your little logic puzzle, in _seconds_ may I add, while Harry had faced down your _master_, all by the time we were eleven! You think that we're useless children, and yet you won't look over the list which _proves,_ through examples, that we are not!"

Ah, and as she made her argument, a tossed book caught Severus in the mouth. Talk about emphasizing a point.

_That little bitch!_

Clearly, Hermione was out of her head in anger, if she was throwing _books_.

"Your list, while anal-retentive in its detail, is also infantile in content! Do you honestly believe that by _whinging_ long enough, you three will get what you want?" Snape's voice was cold and cruel as he spat out the accusation at his assistant.

"You say 'get what we want', like we're children, clamouring for presents, when in actuality, we're young adults, trying to find the best way to fight in this war!" Hermione's voice was coming out in an angry hiss, filled with her contempt for Snape`s interpretation of their efforts.

Her eyes burned like amber fire as she faced off with her professor, "You think that deep down, we want to fight? You think that the three of us don't _long_ for the average teenage life – worrying about grades, parents, dating? We aren't normal teenagers! We never have been! We're exactly what Voldemort hates most: Potters, blood traitors and Mudbloods!"

Snape had flinched at his master's name, but regained his composure momentarily, until he looked at his assistant's posture: her frame radiated tension, her jaw tightened, and Hermione's fists were clenched with fury. Fortunately for him, she had run out of ammunition, and those fists were empty.

"Are you trying to convince yourself that this is necessary, or are you trying to convince me?"

"You, at the moment, and the rest of the Order soon."

"Why can't you just let us work at keeping you three safe?"

"Nowhere is safe. He'll never stop, so neither can we."

Snape turned away from her, and sat down abruptly at a chair near her own. He pinched the bridge of his nose, a habit from his childhood which signalled his stress or frustration with any given situation. He then notices a few drops of blood to the side of his mouth. He took a moment to dab at them with a handkerchief while he tried to get his temper back under control. Finally, he took a long breath, and then looked back at Hermione.

"Every blood supremacist in Britain is going to try to kill you."

"This is war, and we're not playing anymore. They can try. If I go down, I am going to do my damndest to take them with me."

Snape's eyes glittered malevolently in response to Hermione's bold statement. Hermione studied his countenance, unsure of whether she was convincing him that she was right, or that she should be hexed.

Well, he hadn't drawn his wand...yet. Instead, Snape answered her last remark, "Be careful what you wish for, Miss Granger, because one day, you just might get it."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Ok fans, I have a lot to tell you here. First off, the long-assed delay was due to the fact that I FINISHED chapter 13 (which was LONG, btw), and then my computer got infected by some sort of Windows Vista update that made it unable to boot. Long story short, I had to wipe my computer, and I _did not have the chapter backed up_. It was extremely discouraging. 35-40 pages of story, gone!

This is where the mad applause should be sent to my beta, wellyuthink, who is the awesomest lady ever. She kept me from getting discouraged and is helping me rebuild the chapter. Chapter 13 will now be served up in two or three parts, all the better to get you more story, quicker. This is part one. Part two should be up shortly.

Thank you so much for sticking with me, and again, so sorry for the delays! Now, review my friends, REVIEW!!!


	14. Chapter 13 Part Two

Disclaimer: It's not my Potterverse, its JKR's.

Chapter 13: Part Two:

Sometime later that day, Snape was in the kitchen at Headquarters with a chortling Minerva McGonagall, who couldn't look Snape in the eye as she held ice up to his fat lip.

"Of course I am being serious! Hermione Granger actually _threw a book at me_!"

"I can imagine her throwing other things, but books? BOOKS?"

"I know, it was a travesty. And people call that girl a bibliophile. Perish the thought."

Minerva couldn't smother her laughter any longer.

"What I would have given to see the look on your face when she threw it at you..."

"Well, you're almost in luck, as you have the opportunity to see the look of my face from her throwing the damn book..."

Of course, this had to be the moment that Dumbledore entered. "Really Severus, I thought you were so much sprightlier than this."

Severus groaned. The conversation was making his head ache nearly as much as the book had. It honestly pained him to see his two colleagues so mirthful at his expense.

He scowled, which hurt, and then got to his feet. He snapped out a long arm and grabbed the ice bag from Minerva.

"I'll just be heading back to my room now," he said as he glared at the pair, heading towards the door as he spoke.

"Now Severus, don't forget to keep the ice on it to get the swelling down..." Minerva admonished.

Dumbledore twinkled brightly. "Indeed! Because you know that if you apply the healing charm while your face is still swollen—it will stay like that!"

Minerva began to chortle again as the Potion Master swooped out of the room and away from the lunatics he worked with. As he was walking down the hall, Snape realized that Minerva had said the exact same thing to him as a child, when he scowled.

But better to leave the ice on for a little while, just in case.

* * *

When Hermione arrived back at Grimmauld Place, the first thing that she did was hide her illicit library books. She trusted Snape not a whit to keep his eyes away from her research. Since she was not yet supposed to be doing anything to help him with a potion he had yet to discuss with her, Hermione decided the best approach was to stay on the defensive.

She took the books out of her bag, having shrunk them prior to Snape's arrival, and took a few steps to keep Snape from finding out what she was doing. The first was to cast a nice, strong glamour on them. What would keep prying eyes away? Hermione had considered a romance novel, but there was too high of a likelihood that Ginny might nab the books for some smut-tastic reading. Then, Hermione considered making them appear to be science textbooks from the Muggle world; however there was a possibility that Snape might be interested in the contents, and then there was the fact that if Arthur Weasley got a hold of them, he may refuse to give them back while continuing to try to discern how aeroplanes stayed up (a pet hobby of his).

What was boring enough to keep away her friends, but not swotty enough that it may not catch Snape's intellectual interest if discovered?

And then it hit her: a book boring enough to keep her friends from snooping, but ridiculous enough in its ideology that it would actually affront Snape's nature.

In other words: a fake Gilderoy Lockhart book.

All Hermione had to do was make sure the title had alliteration. The contents could be anything, and no one would care. Even Mrs. Weasley couldn't look at her old Lockhart books the same way since meeting the pompous ass in the hospital wing a year and a half before.

It was perfect. Hermione considered calling it _Dancing with Dummies_, but decided to settle for _Feting with Fwoopers_, which was entirely appropriate in Lockhart's case. Fwoopers were known to drive their listeners to insanity, and let's face it, even before the memory charm, Lockhart's lectures were always rather maddening.

Hermione put some rather strong _Notice-Me-Not_ charms on the books, and then placed them within a small trinket box in her trunk, along with her equally illicit copy of Snape's research notes, with the box then warded closed and with another _Notice-Me-Not_ charm upon it. She didn't think she was being irrational, just cautious. 'Constant vigilance!' as Moody would say.

Hermione threw together her rolls of parchments for her discussion with the boys. They needed to plan and plan well. Hermione was still not convinced that Snape wouldn't be the biggest pain in their respective arses during the meeting. He may have stopped arguing with her in the Library, but that didn't mean that he agreed with her at all. He made himself quite clear on that point.

They'd have to make their arguments as rock solid as possible, and hope for the best. After all, they had logic, strategy and prophecy on their side. That had to count for something!

* * *

Hermione walked into the recently educator-vacated kitchen, where the boys were sitting, having a Butterbeer and a chat. She reached out and grabbed them both by their collars, one boy per hand, and began dragging them outside. The other areas of the house were basically bedrooms and common areas, and really weren't conducive to Harry, Hermione and Ron planning on how to address their vote for membership to the Order. Ron spluttered along the way, while Harry simply tried to struggle out of her grip.

"Get moving, you two!" Hermione hissed in response, leading them onto the grass. She then began warding the backyard, casting _Muffliato_ along with the standard privacy charms, with a little Hermione-twist, to keep prying professors from overhearing their conversation

The boys figured out, by looking at her resolved body language, that Hermione was not to be messed with in her current mood. They took a seat side by side on the ground, while Hermione pulled out her notes from the morning.

"Guys, we have a lot to go through. "

"Where have you been all day, Hermione?" Harry queried.

"I was at Hogwarts, in the Library, and it was...well, erm, not quite as constructive as I had hoped..."

"What happened, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Well, I was trying to make plans, and while that was semi-successful, I ended up being caught-out by Professor Snape."

"I reiterate my earlier question," Ron repeated, clearly curious.

Hermione let out a breath. "Before we get to that, I want the two of you to look through the Pros and Cons list that I made up- it's basically what I was fighting with the Professor about - so it would make more sense for you to have a read through first." Hermione handed each of them a copy of the list, along with a quill each so that they could work on it together.

Ron was looking at the list with the same absorbed expression he used while playing chess. "I think one of our strongest options is to try to make our presentation solid, so that when the members of the Order who do not want us to join give their opinion why we shouldn't join, we've anticipated their reactions, that way we will have rebuttals planned," he said, mainly to himself, as he read through the Pros section.

"Yes! That is exactly why part two of the list is _Cons_, that way we can present solid evidence as to why we should be included in the membership!"

Harry was now on the Cons side of the list as well. "I like that you have some rebuttals listed here, but these points need to be rock solid. And we need to show that we are proactively addressing them. Like this item here–" Harry pointed to #3, 'We're still in school, this may limit our usefulness to the Order', "-We can really twist these kinds of perceptions to work in our favour. How many times have we cut off Voldemort's plans from information that we have gleaned while in school?"

"Well, I think that would be from information we gathered in years 1, 2, 4, 5..." Ron said with a grin.

"Absolutely! And while at school, we have also set up the D.A., and we've all learned to handle responsibility on top of our regular student roles. Ron and I are both prefects, and Harry, you've captained the Quidditch team. We've learned how to balance."

"That may be in due, in no small part, to the fact that you plan every minute of our days, Hermione," Harry teased.

"Well, it looks like you are lucky that I have, don't you think?" Hermione smirked.

"Additionally, it's a huge advantage in our favour to be underestimated by the other side. Think about it, if the Death Eaters think that they are merely facing students, they use less of their resources. Remember in the Department of Mysteries, how Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy couldn't believe that we were actually taking them on?" Ron pointed out.

"They only brought a small force of Death Eaters because they assumed that students would not be able to hold their own against them."

"That is a good example of how the other side reacted. We were still out-numbered massively, and we were lucky that we got Order back up. But there were losses," Hermione said sadly.

Harry paused at the memory of Sirius falling through the veil. "I think you have just given the perfect analogy for us to work with, Ron. We went in, with no plan, and nothing but our courage and our wits to rescue Sirius. While it was all a trap, look at the response: we got in, in spite of the odds against us, and we secured the prophecy. The Death Eaters came in a small force, anticipating no fight from students. We held our own until the Order members started to arrive, and there were losses, on both sides. Some of the key Death Eaters were sent to prison, and Voldemort's return was revealed to the world. We lost Sirius."

Harry glanced at his friends to make sure they were with him. Both Hermione and Ron were paying close attention to their friend. Hermione was taking notes as well while Harry spoke.

Harry continued, "Let's look at how things may have played out under ideal circumstances. First off, if we had the information that the Order had about the Department of Mysteries, and we knew that Voldemort was trying to lure me there, we would never have gone. Full stop. We would have known it was a trap. Next ideal circumstance: if we had a method for communicating with the Order that didn't rely on us breaking into Umbridge's office and wasting all that time, we could have verified the vision I had. Again, we would have known it was a trap and that Sirius was safe here. Next, if we had been unable to verify the information that we had before leaving for the Ministry, hopefully, we would have had two other strengths to play on: the ability to call for backup once we saw that the Hall of Prophecy was filling up with Death Eaters, and secondly, the extensive training to duel and defend ourselves from the enemy, because quite frankly, we need more than what we have had from school and the D.A."

Ron looked from Harry to Hermione. "I think that if we use this scenario in our argument, we have to be very careful of how we word ourselves. While these are all very valid points, we need to make sure that we are not coming across as justifying juvenile reflexes to rush in and place ourselves in danger, and that above all, it does not come across that we blame the Order for the results of that journey to the Ministry."

Hermione gave Ron a small smile. "I think that is the most tactful thing you have ever said."

"I'm working my way up to the emotional range of a tablespoon, these days," he joked back, before getting serious again. "It's not just that, but if we put the assembly on the defensive, we can't win the vote. We're already going to have to face that they had to come in to rescue us, and there is really no denying that. What we need to focus on is that situations like that could be prevented, that we are all on the same side, and that the three of us are involved in this war, like it or not, and are going to find ourselves face to face with Death Eaters again and again until this war is over."

"Excellent points," Harry remarked

"I'm the strategist of this Trio, remember?"

"At times like this, it not easy to forget," Hermione added.

The three friends looked back at the lists. Hermione indicated that they should go through each point and try to solidify their positions. Each made comments, where appropriate, to be compiled together for the meeting. After some time had elapsed, Hermione spoke up again.

"I want to get back to a point Harry made earlier, about being proactive. We were talking about our usefulness, about strategy and communication, which is funny, because had some interesting thoughts while I was in the Library..." again, Hermione pulled some parchment from her bag, which was covered in runes. Hermione waved her wand, and the runes changed into legible writing.

"That's a cool trick Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.

"Just you wait, Ron." Hermione grinned. "I was looking into a few things while at Hogwarts. First off, taking the advice we were so generously given about becoming more underhanded and sneaky. Professor Snape was right to tell us that we need to work on our own spying and subterfuge skills. Harry, we're going to need as good look at the Slytherin book the Professor gave to you. I'm owling my parents to get some Muggle texts for reference and ideas. I think we should narrow down and really research surveillance, counter-surveillance, communication, concealment, and interrogation techniques; if we are going to be of use to the Order over the next year at Hogwarts. There's plenty that goes on there that has given us the edge before."

"I'll say! Great dirty snakes around the school, teachers with Dark Wizards under their turbans, Death Eater imposters, Ministry watchdogs ..." Ron reminisced.

"I don't mean to be one against inter-house co-operation, but there are children of Death Eaters in the school who have relevant information that are not as careful with it as their parents. And I don't just mean in Slytherin House, but all over the school. We need to start looking at sympathizers as well. Professor Snape said-"

"Oooo, Professor Snape said!" Ron chanted, Harry chuckling at his antics.

"-Be serious!" Hermione intoned shrilly. "Now, Professor Snape said that there is a good majority of so-called Death Eaters who are not of the hooded and masked variety. He said that You-Know-Who tends to recruit sympathizers and blackmail those that he wants as informants and such. We need to keep an eye out for that lot, as they may have even more useful information than the typical Death Eater that parades around at Quidditch Cups cursing Muggles."

Ron actually looked pensive for a moment. "Strategically speaking, that makes a lot of sense. It's a great way to operate blind; to have your moles and informants avoid meetings and give information directly to You-Know-Who. It keeps their information to a smaller group of people, and gives them the ability to hide their involvement."

"Plausible deniability," Hermione stated.

When Harry looked a bit perplexed, she expanded, "It goes back to the last Muggle World War. Basically, the concept is that you can deny blame for an action taken within an informal chain of command, where the Inner Circle can successfully place the blame on the lower ranking members outside of that circle. When caught, the high-ranking members deny knowledge of the illegal act or connection to any person who may have committed any such act. In groups like the Death Eaters, who operate as a hierarchy within a terrorist organization, the Inner-Circle protects themselves by secretly having lower-ranking members, moles, and so on take action on their behalf; therefore they themselves have not really done any of the dirty work and can't be prosecuted. It's basically how Malfoy Senior avoided Azkaban during the last uprising of You-Know-Who."

"What does that mean about these blackmailed Death Eaters?"

"You-Know-Who and his Inner Circle arrange for information to be passed on to them. They have these informants do the dirty work of getting information or things illicitly on their behalf, and since there is no apparent connection between the informants and the Death Eaters, it makes it even more difficult to tell what the Death Eaters are planning, because little or no evidence is left behind for us to find," Hermione outlined.

"Is it okay that I find it scary that you know so much about this?" Harry asked.

"I started researching espionage already."

"We've said it before, Harry...brilliant but scary." Ron shot Hermione a grin as he directed his comment to Harry.

"I'll see what I can dig up before the meeting to start getting us more prepared for when we are back at Hogwarts. To help the Order, we need to have more than our eyes and ears open. We need to be actively looking for information that can aid the Order in stopping whatever the Death Eaters are working on."

"If it makes you happy Hermione, I'll let you look at the Slytherin book after dinner," Harry graciously offered.

"That may help us look more covertly, but it doesn't tell us what to look for. And you have to remember that the book doesn't give us the edge over the Slytherin students. Most of them were brought up to conduct themselves in that manner, it's their second nature. It may help us with the other houses, but not with them. No, we need to get far more prepared to deal with the Slytherins."

Harry spoke up, "Now that I think about it, the last time that we really tried to get information out of the Slytherins, it didn't work so well. Hermione ended up as a cat, and we didn't really get much of anything out of Malfoy."

"That's why we need to be _prepared_. We can't keep dashing off on hunches anymore. We have to organize our plan. We need to have some back up strategies ready to be used whenever the opportunity presents itself. This year has to be different from all the others."

"Well, aside from getting better at tracking and spying on other students, what else should we prepare?" Harry asked.

"I've got two other ideas: first we need to have the DA back up and running, regularly. I had a long talk with Ginny about that, and think it is definitely something that has to get done. The war is coming to a head, and if the students are unable to properly defend themselves, it's going to be a bloodbath. I think this is something that we may really want to keep Ginny involved in, that way, when we're busy with Order work, we'll know that the D.A. still has someone to teach the other students, someone who is capable in the subject."

"And don't forget, a busy Ginny has less time to be mad at us for being in the Order when she is not."

"Good point, Ron."

"Next, the three of us need a better way to communicate secretly. And I have a perfect plan..."

Harry and Ron shuddered together.

"Ron, why do I always get the chills when she says that?"

"I dunno mate, but I get the collywobbles every time."

"Oh shut it, you two! Do you want to know how we can communicate without getting caught or not?"

They nodded in response.

"This one is a gem because it is so _simple_. We'll use a variant of a Caesar cipher!"

"A what?" Harry asked.

"A shifting cipher! It's the basic premise in cryptography-the study of code. I got the idea from reading about Ancient Rome. Julius Caesar used it for his secret military dispatches. You replace the text with other letters a using a standard rotation of positions down the alphabet from the letter you actually wrote. So, for example, in your shift cipher, if the standard is 3 rotations, then it would look like this-"

Hermione took some parchment and wrote:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Cipher: DEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABC

"-So if I wrote you a note with this-"here, she added JUBIILQGRUV UXOH, "then what would the message say?" Hermione slid the parchment to the boys.

Harry and Ron looked back between the alphabet, the cipher and the message. After a few minutes, Ron suddenly howled in triumph, "GRYFFINDORS RULE!"

"They certainly do."

"Hermione, I don't mean to be a downer, but this seems a bit complicated to have for messages, and erm, I'm not sure that if someone looked long enough, that they couldn't break our code," Harry said quietly, not wanting to upset his friend.

Hermione smiled a secret smile. "Ron, what did you tell me when we were facing the Devil's Snare in our first year? When I said 'But there's no wood'?"

"I may have asked you if you were a witch or not."

"I am a witch, and with a bit of magic, we can make our cipher easier for us to use and harder for everyone else to understand."

The boys waited for Hermione to elaborate. She has the same look on her face as when she was explaining to them that Skeeter was an Animagus.

"The shifting cipher is fairly simple, that is why it is only a component of so many more modern techniques today, and it's easily broken if you figure out the pattern of rotation. So what we need to do is set ourselves up with a rotating shifting cipher-that is, that its rotation changes _daily_."

"Are you mad? We took an age just to figure out that Gryffindors rule!" Ron said hotly.

"That's why it must be easy to remember. We should assign the rotation to whatever the date is. Today's the first. Therefore, today's notes would require one shift in the cipher. Yet… that is far too easy still. What I am going to go is get each of us a charmed parchment to communicate to each other. All of the messages when written will appear as arithmantic symbols that will change to runes with one charm, and then we'll add a separate charm with the number of rotations for that date, which will change the runes into the alphabet, corresponding to the message. Unless someone knows the charm, they won't even be able to see the ciphered message, let alone use the charm to shift it to the true meaning."

"Hermione, I think you are getting a little paranoid."

"It's like what I did earlier with my notes, changing them from runes to regular English; but this is more complex. We can't risk Order business being read or found by others. I'm going to finish with the charms for the parchments for the actual equations to runes to cipher to message. Once we have the actual parchments ready, anytime you get a message you'll do two quick charms on the parchment, the first to get you to the cipher, then the second to change the runed cipher into the alphabetic message. Once you have practiced them a few times, it will be a second or two to get your message, but at least we have taken all these steps to keep Order information safe. And you two are going to finally put that map to good use."

Harry and Ron looked at each other questioningly, then back at Hermione.

"We need something to protect the parchments themselves. And the 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' and 'Mischief managed' parts of the Marauders Map are pure genius. I need to create the charm to open our messages and then wipe them once the message has been read."

"That's a hefty order, Hermione."

"It is not! You already had Remus tell you all about the map! Now put that knowledge to good use and figure out how to key it to three separate parchments with one binding charm!"

Ron and Harry grudgingly agreed, conceding that this would at least show the Order that they took their roles seriously, and wanted to be proactive members ready to do what they could; while also protecting the information exchanged.

"I also think that it is important that we only share the details of the charms and the shifting with Professor Dumbledore," Harry added quietly.

"Why?" Hermione asked, "The Order is trustworthy."

"Is it? I'd like to say that it is, but how many times has information 'slipped', even accidentally? We've dealt with traitors, with the miscommunication; we've even dealt with the fact that Hagrid can't hold his liquor while still holding in his secrets. I say let's just avoid any potential for mishap, and keep the details to ourselves and our leader."

Hermione could understand part of where Harry was coming from, even if she disagreed.

Ron brightened the mood by commenting, "And old Snapey can't translate our notes in class if he finds them!"

"It's _Professor_ Snape, Ronald!" Hermione lectured, while poking the red-head in the arm.

"Ok! Ok!" he grumbled in return.

"Get your information together tomorrow morning. I'll work on the translation charms and creating three sets of parchments, while the two of you work on organizing the Marauder charms to be applied on them as well. Then we'll combine the spells, hopefully without disastrous results."

"We have team stuff to work on as well, Hermione."

"I understand, and not that I would _ever _advocate shirking one's duties, but we're on a tight schedule. We'll have to approach Dumbledore about getting at least some of tomorrow to ourselves."

"Good idea."

"I'm full of those, you know."

"And so modest. Really, the fact that you remain so humble is truly my favourite thing about you, Hermione," Harry said, chuckling.

Hermione batted her friend with a roll of parchment.

"Watch it, I'm delicate!"

Hermione started laughing, recalling how she had thrown her research materials at her professor that morning. When Harry and Ron began to look at her like she may become a roommate for Lockhart at St. Mungos, Hermione explained about her fight with Snape earlier.

Harry and Ron stared at her, open mouthed. "I don't know whether to have you put on suicide watch, or kneel at your feet in worship, Hermione," Harry stated.

"The latter would be preferable."

Harry and Ron chuckled, and then Harry began to kneel and bow before Hermione, Ron following suit immediately.

It was here of course, that the Trio was interrupted. Professors Snape and Dumbledore stood at the door of the house, overlooking the back yard. Dumbledore was smiling at his students, while Snape sneered.

"Dark Lording already, Granger?"

Hermione grimaced in response. "Not at all. I'd never actually _demand_ for others to prostrate themselves before me. This is merely in jest, Professor."

Snape did not appear to be amused. Perhaps years of kneeling and worshipping had finally taken their toll on the resident Death Eater.

"Indeed," he said with a cutting tone.

"Well, as amusing as this all may be, Molly informs me that dinner is ready. You three may return to your amusements after the meal," Dumbledore explained.

Hermione grabbed up all the parchments, and with a quick swish of her wand and a muttered charm, the words all became runes again. Snape narrowed his eyes at her actions. Hermione shoved their work into her bag, and tried to look innocently at her team leader. He did not appear to be buying her performance.

_Note to self: brush up on acting skills._

Snape gave his students one last glare and then swept into the house. Dumbledore remained, waiting for the Trio to reach the door.

"Headmaster, I was wondering if you may be able to clear our schedules for the morning tomorrow, so that we can try to finalize our...tactics," Hermione asked.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm sure you can be accommodated, Miss Granger. I thought the three of you might have that request. Did you have anything else that you wanted to ask of me?"

Hermione had the sneaking suspicion that Dumbledore was meddling. She was intrigued. No doubt, he did not come to the back yard just to fetch them for dinner.

Harry seemed to be sharing his friend's thoughts.

"What do you have in mind, sir?"

"I thought you may want to run your current plans by me, and see if there was any advice I could give you that may aid you at the meeting."

Ron gasped. "You actually want to help us get in?"

Dumbledore smiled in response. What the students did not understand about the Headmaster was that he couldn't physically restrain himself from snooping or giving an opinion. However, there was no need for them to know that. "I am the one who will be nominating the three of you for membership. Clearly, I'm already on your side."

"Then why all the fuss? Why don't you just tell the Order, as their leader, that you are admitting us?" Hermione asked.

Dumbledore paused. There were obviously a few ways to answer the question. "Well, first of all, I like to think the Order is as democratic as possible. We do try to leave a lot of the admission process to the membership. Secondly, the actual body of the Order is comprised of members who have to trust each other. These are life and death situations, and when it comes down to dangerous moments, you need to know that the person who has your back is both reliable and capable. The members have the right to make their opinions known; they have the right for us to try to conduct ourselves as safely as possible."

"And yet, most of them don't trust Snape one whit," Ron grumbled.

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "Severus Snape is not up for discussion. I have put my life in his hands time and time again, and have never regretted it. He is absolutely trustworthy. And regardless of the mutterings of those who have never taken the time to know him, I can vouch that the majority of the members have at one time or another been extremely thankful to have him on our side; as both his expertise in potions and his information from spying have saved countless lives."

Ron mumbled out an apology to the headmaster.

"This may be something you want to add to your discussion – the three of you really do not know most members of the Order, at least not well, and neither do they know you. You are going to have to illustrate why you are both trustworthy and capable."

"We're working on it, sir," Harry said.

"See that you do, or I can guarantee that you will lose the vote."

"We're working on a few angles now, Headmaster. Perhaps we can discuss our plans with you more thoroughly at some point tomorrow. Are you available at all?"

"I'll be attending to Hogwarts business for the entire morning and part of the afternoon. Perhaps I can meet with the three of you rather briefly, around tea time tomorrow?"

The Trio readily agreed.

Dumbledore nodded his approval and then led his three charges into the house for the evening meal.

* * *

AN: For details on Fwoopers, see _Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them_, page 18. The section on plausible deniability has basically been reworded from what is on , and then applied to how I think the Death Eaters would operate. It's seems to be pretty standard operating procedure for terrorists and dirty government officials. And in this case, we have both within my scenario.

For all who left reviews, I thank you so much. I know my updating has been slow-going, so I am so grateful for everyone who has stayed with me throughout. I looked at the calendar, and was shocked to find that I started this story _two years _ago. My reviewers, your comments are always so enlightening and really assist me in planning out my chapters. I've had some exceptionally well thought-out reviews and PMs with some readers that have been both intriguing and thought-provoking. Again, thank you so much. Chapter 13, Part 3 (and hopefully last) should be done soon. I hope! Please review Part Two in the meantime!

To my beta, the ever-patient, ever-diligent wellyuthink, I'd like to extend my gratitude. She told me she has four different versions of chapter 13 on her computer; compared to the dozen I have on mine, and the two parts I've now posted, which just shows she is one dedicated beta! Every time I think I am ready to finish it and move on, she gives me such great encouragement, she Brit-picks and helps me tie up all the loose ends, and has these moments of insight that are remarkable. Best beta ever.


	15. Chapter 13 Part Three

_If you recognize it, it's JKR's. If you don't, then it is probably mine._

Chapter 13: Part Three:

Things had been hectic for the Trio from the moment Dumbledore had escorted them into dinner. Hermione had muttered to her friends that they were going to have to 'step up their planning'. Since then, the three students had been shooting each other looks as they took their seats at the table. Hermione had wished fervently that she had already mastered the charms for the parchments and that they boys had become proficient in opening and deciphering their contents. Her mind was moving even more quickly than normal (which was something in and of itself), and her head was spinning with the plans that she and her friends must complete before they faced the Order on the morrow. Hermione felt in her bones that she was on the brink of something huge, and that she must move cautiously but quickly ahead in order to face the obstacles and opponents which may rise against her.

Harry made a gesture for her to hurry and eat. She smirked and pointed to Ron, who looked thoughtful, but was also staring at a chicken leg. Whether he was planning comments to make to the Order or was considering gravy, Hermione really couldn't say. Harry elbowed Ron in the ribs and muttered to his friend to 'hurry it up'. The three ate quickly and began to take their leave of the other people at the table.

"Ronnie, don't you want to have your pudding?" his mother asked, a bit stunned that her youngest son would even consider leaving the table so quickly.

Ron had already opened his mouth to reply to his mother, when Harry grabbed him by the arm (after a rather pointed look from Hermione) and began to drag him from the dining room. "We'd love some later, Mrs. Weasley. Perhaps you could put some away for us? We really must be off for a bit..." and with that Harry and Hermione thrust Ron from the room and into the hall.

"I always think a little better with pudding, I mean, shouldn't we just-"

"NO RON!" Hermione screeched out. "I mean, honestly, Professor Dumbledore is going to be meeting with us personally tomorrow before the Order gathering. We have so much to do to be ready. We're going to have to prove that we are just as capable as fully trained witches and wizards who have been fighting since _before we were_ _born_, and all you can think about is _your mother's pudding_? Can we prioritize here, already?"

Ron's face had become rather red throughout this rant, and he had put on a rather sullen expression. "Fine! But when my stomach starts growling while we're working, and it begins to distract you, don't you think about yelling at me!"

Harry rolled his eyes at the pair. "Alright, alright. Let's get our stuff together and meet in my room in about five minutes?"

"I've got quite a bit of research material up in my room. It would be rather burdensome and conspicuous to bring that all down to yours. Can we gather in my room in five minutes instead?"

Ron and Harry nodded their agreement and the Trio split to collect their planning material.

* * *

The boys came in with the notes that they had made on the Marauders Map and set to work breaking down the sequence of charms to be used on the three parchments. Hermione lent them her copy of _Bind Me to You_ by Bethany Briggs, a slim volume of binding charms to be used in different scenarios. Hermione cracked the book open to a chapter used to combine a series of charms, after Ron had erroneously been looking through charms that bound people together.

"Ron, we're trying to bind together strings of charms, not marry you to Harry. Perhaps Chapter Seven may be an interesting read, but you may not wish to read it-_aloud_-when pointing your wand at Harry," she said rather dryly. Harry dodged away from Ron's wand as Hermione turned to the appropriate pages for their research.

After that, things went rather smoothly for a while. Hermione had several stacks of books, scrolls and parchment before her, and was muttering while also writing down arithmetic equations on a slip of paper to her right.

After about an hour of the three experimenting with certain variants in their charms and terminology, the boys appeared to be ready to test a piece of parchment with the protective charms from the Map.

"Well, we'll need to key this piece to acknowledge us, and we need to have a phrase to begin and end all of our messages," Ron explained.

"It really is a shame that 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good' is off the table." Harry commented.

"For Order work, seriously?" Hermione asked.

"Well, it was rather catchy! And honestly, who but the twins would _ever_ have thought to try to unlock an unknown parchment with that phrase? It was genius!"

Hermione rolled her eyes while Ron snickered. It really was only Fred and George who would ever have thought of such a thing. The Marauders may have been clever in designing the map, but they probably never would have tried to open a be-spelled parchment with that kind of phrase.

"I think the cleverness of the phrase was that it wasn't anything that would really identify the owner. If anyone caught us with these, we want to make sure that the charm to open them would be keyed with a phrase that no one would expect from us. So there will be no talk of Know-It-Alls, any term or phrase for the colour red, or being a Boy-Who-Did-Anything. "

"Hermione, sometimes you suck the fun out of everything," Ron complained.

"Well here is your chance to use your imagination and your brain, Ronald."

"Oh, goody."

The three sat in silence for a few minutes as they contemplated what might be the best phrase to use for their charm.

"What about a phrase from song that we all know?"

"If we know it, someone else may know it. This needs to be something _random_."

The group lapsed back into silence for another few minutes. Suddenly, Harry's face flushed with the simplicity of an idea.

"What about creating a phrase what just has something completely random from all three of us in it?"

"What do you mean, Harry?"

"Like, even if someone saw us writing it down, or saying it, it's so common, every day, but yet so completely random? Like a phrase that says what...our favourite colours are, or our favourite desserts, or something."

"I think that you are on to something Harry! Ok, well, what do we all like...in our tea?"

"Why tea, Hermione?" asked Ron.

"If anyone ever saw it, that's just assume that we're relaying what we would like to have together that evening or something. It's so simple. This was a great idea, Harry!"

"I like my tea with a dash of milk and a bit of sugar," said Ron.

"I like my tea with lemon and a half spoonful of sugar," said Hermione.

"I like my tea with a bit of honey," said Harry.

"Should we summarize it, or say each in turn for the charm?" asked Ron.

"What seems more natural if we are overhead?" asked Hermione.

"What if we say 'I like my tea with a dash of milk and a bit of sugar or with lemon and a half spoonful of sugar or with a bit of honey?" said Ron, "that way, if overhead, it sounds like we are giving options, not like we are reciting different people's tea orders."

"That makes sense. Ok, I am writing this down, and we'll add this as the 'open' incantation when using the parchments. Now we need something similar to wipe them clear after use." Hermione said, as she took notes.

"Well, 'mischief managed' was kind of related to 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good'. Why don't we use a phrase that would make sense if it was heard after the first? But still very common place and completely unsuspicious?" Ron queried.

"Such as?" Harry asked.

"See you at tea time?" Hermione suggested.

Ron and Harry nodded their agreement. As Hermione took notes, Ron got that look on his face that suggested he was mulling over a problem. Hermione and Harry were familiar with this expression, as it was one he often used just before taking out their queens or bishops in chess. By mutual glances, they agreed to be silent while he thought it out.

"Snape said that we needed to have back up plans, didn't he?" Ron asked

"_Professor_ Snape did say such a thing," Hermione chided.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Alright then Professor Snape may agree that if we were overheard, which often occurs at Hogwarts, using the same phrase over and over may look quite suspicious. I'm going to recommend we change the incantation maybe every month. That way, even if we are caught with the parchments, hopefully the phrase we were overheard with would be an older one, and wouldn't work."

Hermione smiled at Ron. "I like your plan. We'll agree to re-charm the parchments at the beginning of every month. If we notice certain nosy people poking around in our business more frequently, we'll change them more frequently, but always to very random statements. Agreed?" They all nodded in assent.

"Alright, let's turn to the charms for the messages. Here is what I have so far...we're going to have to test the wand movements and make sure they work out..."

Hermione began demonstrating the series of wand movements used to switch the ciphers back and forth to her friends. Through several trials, on several pieces of parchment, they eventually found a charm and wand movement that worked. Hermione's research and Arithmancy in the coding for the spell led her to using a charm where the wand movement to change the words on the page from cipher to alphabet is done by tracing the shape of the rune for the number of the rotation, with a swish and jab motion at the end. Hermione used arithmantic calculations to get this wand movement, which was a surprising result, since the previous charm was for rune to cipher. The spell work apparently wanted rune shapes to continue the translation between message sets, in order to be effective.

Harry, Hermione and Ron had to practice and experiment for an hour before they had the charm down on the test parchment. Now was the tricky part, where they would combine the charms together on a single parchment. The book had been adamant that there needed to be some sort of personal signature within the binding. Harry had thought the book meant that each member would have to supply some of their blood. Hermione was not so sure. The book was not at all Dark. She began to run through other options with her friends, from traces of magical signatures, to bits of hair (like in Polyjuice) and so on.

"It can't be pieces of ourselves, per say, because that would be more like potions, and this is for binding _charms_." Hermione began to mutter to herself under her breath, and started looking through her notes again. After a few minutes and a few more arithmantic equations, she had an idea.

"Saliva".

"You want us to _spit_, on the parchments?"

"Yes, I do, Ronald! Ok, well not _spit_, but, perhaps, lick the page, just a bit."

Harry began to laugh as he saw Ron's face, which looked just a bit phased by this turn of events. Ron's mutterings of "lunatic" "weird magic" and "better work out brilliantly" could be overheard if one listened very carefully. Obviously, Ron had never used Muggle stamps before.

The charms were performed on three parchments, and Hermione added a Protean Charm to them to link each parchment as part of a set of three connected magical communicating devices. The end result was that Harry, Ron and Hermione found themselves with three average looking pieces of parchment that could be used to communicate with one another, each no larger than the span of a hand. The signal that was settled on for the Protean Charm was for the initials of the sender to appear on the parchment, which would warm the page when received.

Hermione began to look around for something gold within the room for further transfiguration. Harry produced a few galleons from his pocket. Hermione took three and spelled them into canisters for parchments. She then took three more galleons and transfigured them into necklace chains. The canisters were shrunk down to the size of a small charm that would be discreetly worn on a chain. When it was warm from a message received, they could find a place to open the canister in privacy.

Each of the friends practiced sending and receiving messages. Harry's grin was contagious. It had taken a few hours of research, experiments and practice, but they had mastered how they would secretly communicate throughout the upcoming year.

Ron's stomach began to rumble, and even Hermione agreed that they had earned a break. The Trio tucked their chains inside of their shirts, Hermione repeated the charms that she had used earlier that afternoon to hide their research, and they went down to the kitchen for a pudding

* * *

Now full of dessert to the point where even Ron couldn't complain of being hungry, and with a stimulating amount of caffeine to keep them alert as they continued, the three were soon back in Hermione's room, pouring over notes and texts. Ron and Harry were working on chronology for the presentation tomorrow, proving that even students can have an impact on the way the war had been waged. Ron's sense of strategy was pretty much the only thing overriding his normal state of tactlessness. The afternoon's revelation that the Trio could not win the vote by attacking the membership was having a dramatic effect on how they were approaching the presentation. Hermione had a shrewd suspicion that if they were ever allowed into the Order and fighting in the war, it may hinge on this particular insight. Ron was really not tactful or insightful in regards to human nature in any way, shape or form, but during the extremely rare moments when he managed to push aside his usual social ineptness, he could be rather perceptive.

Hermione had been fortunate that her parents had enough time that afternoon to do some research for her, and sent her several books regarding the history of spies and espionage, as well as some case studies of the great modern spies of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. She had cracked them open immediately and was taking notes with quill and parchment as the boys delved through their own notes.

It had been a busy forty-five minutes, when Harry realized that there might be something they were overlooking. He was very still for some time, as his friends continued working. Harry went over and over his school years and kept coming back to the same inevitable conclusions. He thought over discussions that had been had, events that had occurred, reactions that had shown by certain parties on many occasions, and realized that they would have to be addressed if he and his friends were going to proceed on the morrow with any success. He asked his friends to stop for a few minutes to discuss the matter over.

"We've been working this evening based on a few minutes of conversation with the Headmaster, and our own session out in the back yard earlier today, and with all the research that we've been doing, but I still feel that what we're saying is missing something."

"What do you mean? We're introducing ourselves, working through our pros and cons of membership, attempting to be tactful and appealing to the membership to see what we have done, and show how much more we could do if we we're fully in the confidence of the Order," Hermione responded.

"It's just...something the Headmaster said has been bothering me." Harry removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes for a moment before he continued, "Do you remember how defensive he got when we were mentioning Snape?"

"Hard to forget, mate" Ron answered.

"_Professor_ Snape! Do you two ever listen?" Hermione sighed. Sometimes it was like talking to a wall with these two. There was only so much repeating she could do without wanting to pull her own hair out.

"Exactly! Professor Snape has been a pretty contentious point with us for a long time," Harry said.

"Again, not exactly news, Harry. He's been a git since we got to school, and that is hardly going to change if we get into the Order." Ron did not seem to understand where Harry was going with this. Hermione was not exactly following, either.

"Ok, so the Headmaster was making a point that there is a lot below the surface that we don't know about going on within the Order. He is not going to divulge everything to us. And even if we were in the Order, he is not going to go and disclose every person's background, it's far too risky. And on the other hand, we've been in the public eye for so long, that most people are going to have preconceived notions about us-"

"Thanks to that _cow_, Skeeter-" Hermione huffed.

"-Back to the point here, Hermione. The thing is, how well do we really know anyone within the Order? How well do they know _us_? If we all believe each other's hype, we're going to think the worst, and not the best."

Hermione was on the precipice of a monumental moment with her boys. Could it be that Harry was willingly acknowledging something she had tried to drill into their heads for ages?

"Harry, I think I am about to pass out. Seriously pass out, in shock, if you are saying what I am thinking you are saying." Hermione's face was wan, as she looked at her friend in disbelief.

"Will someone bloody well explain to me what Harry is trying to say?" Ron asked rudely.

"We've only met a small amount of the Order, and we've met them under very controlled circumstances. Many of them are already in established positions, and they can't vary from those positions in the slightest, or their value would be lost." Harry answered.

Harry took a deep breath. "I cannot believe I am going to say this. I cannot believe it at all. And if it's true, than I am going to hate every minute of the last year at Hogwarts, simply because I will have to be privately in penance the whole time."

"For what? What do you have to feel so bad about?" Ron was not following at all. Apparently, one major insight a day was all they could count on.

"To start with, Snape is probably not such a bad guy."

"Are you _mental_?" Ron bellowed.

"Not at all, he's having a moment of maturity. You had your turn earlier – let Harry have his," Hermione admonished with a crooked grin. She tried for a moment, but couldn't resist. She gave Harry a huge hug. "I am so proud of you," she muttered into his ear.

"Excuse me, but haven't we universally agreed since our first day at Hogwarts that Professor Snape is the world's biggest bat? That he is an unfair git and that he loathes on instinct?" Ron asked, still dumbstruck that his best friend could say such rubbish about their mutually loathed enemy.

"Professor Dumbledore got me thinking earlier. He's said it before: that he trusts Professor Snape. We know Professor Snape was a Death Eater in his youth willingly, and that he turned spy. We know that later, the Headmaster asked him to resume his service so that we'd have someone on the inside after the Triwizard Cup. Do you remember our very first year? Hagrid told us that there were many who suspected that Voldemort wasn't gone for good, but biding his time, waiting to return to power, and so he did. All of the members of the Order are fulfilling certain functions, and those functions do not seem to have changed much. If the Professors always thought that Voldemort was going to return, does it seem reasonable to think that they wouldn't give themselves the best possible position to be in for that to occur?"

"Are you saying Professor Snape stayed at Hogwarts for over a decade in order to be in place for You-Know-Who's return?" Ron asked incredulously.

"It's not that farfetched. I think Harry is on the right track. Listen, as much as you may find Professor Snape's personality distasteful, you have to admit, he is brilliant. He could be making loads more money in the private sector developing his potions and conducting research. But if he left the school, he'd no longer be in place where You-Know-Who wanted him, where he had been useful during the first war. If You-Know-Who returned, and there was no spy at Hogwarts, he may be...extremely displeased with Professor Snape for leaving his post. He may lose all trust in him, and we would have lost our spy," Hermione expanded.

"Ok, ok, let's hold off for a moment while I process this. Snape—a good guy all along. I think I need a minute or two."

Hermione gave a sound of exasperation. "This is exactly the kind of rubbish that is going to stop us from getting into the Order. Ron, we don't have time for this childish attitude anymore. We're adults; we're trying to be full Order members. And there is no way we are going to get in if we enter that meeting tomorrow with opinions formed about the members that we do know, and formed to see them in the worst possible light."

Harry added quietly, "Imagine what they must think of us."

"That's absurd; all of my family know you, all of the Hogwarts crew, some of the Aurors..." Ron hastily said.

"There is sure to be many more people than we know. And if we were this hard on Professor Snape for years because of his outward attitude that is part of his role as a spy, and we were simply believing the gossip that was spread about him at school, think of what the Order members who don't know us at all must think, just from what they read in the Prophet. According to the media, I'm some sort of hormonal scarlet woman who jumps between 'famous' boys, while Harry is some mentally unstable glory-seeker, and Ron, you're a Weasley, with all of the press that your surname has come across in the past few years, including your Dad's Muggle-obsession and the charges against him for the flying car, and the legislation he has worked on, which has garnered quite a few enemies within the Ministry." Hermione was shaking her head at Ron, wishing he would move past his more immature beliefs.

"This brings me right back to my original point – we don't really know them, and they don't know us." Harry looked at the notes he and Ron had been making before this discussion. "We have certain known quantities, like the Weasleys, Hagrid, Tonks, and Remus and so on. We also have an even bigger number of unknowns. We have no idea how big the general membership may be, and we don't know if there are other members or sources who would never be able to reveal themselves at a meeting like this."

"So what do we do about the great unknowns then, mate?" Ron asked Harry, finally joining in the thought process.

"We're definitely going to have to talk to the Headmaster, because quite frankly, we may not know what we are getting into."

* * *

Snape decided this was probably the best time to leave them to it, undisturbed. He had been curious enough to know what his assistant was planning, and sneaky enough to take down enough of her privacy wards to use a Weasley Extendable Ear on the room, without the Trio noticing. There was enough spell-work to keep out the majority of the Order, but not Severus, and certainly not Dumbledore, if he intended to snoop.

Dumbledore himself had approached Snape after the meal, stating that the students would be planning for some time that evening, and that Snape would probably have to attend to his potions alone. With a rather twinkling expression, the Headmaster indicated to his resident Potion expert that perhaps he would be intrigued by the result.

Severus found himself less intrigued, and more flat-out stunned. For the Boy-Wonder to actually, _voluntarily_ come to the conclusion that perhaps his professor was not quite as much of a blackguard as advertised was certainly enough to put most of the population in the Incurable Spell Damage Ward right alongside that fop Lockhart. It was if the axis of the planet had shifted and Snape was just going to have to get used to it.

And it wasn't like Potter's insights stopped there, he naturally made the jump that other Order members may not be exactly as they seem, and that they may not see the Trio in the best light, either.

_Would wonders ever cease?_

Snape headed down to the basement lab, shaking his head, and decided, just as a precaution, to take the antidotes for the most common poisons and hallucinogens. Snape was a man under tremendous pressure. You never knew, he could have gone mad, after all.

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione had stayed up planning for a good deal of the night and well into the following morning, and they had established a general outline of what content should be discussed during the meeting. Obviously, they would be announced as possible candidates, and be introduced to the Order. Harry, Hermione and Ron would have to give the members an idea of who they were as _people_, not who they were by reputation. The best way to do this would be to begin by outlining their work as a team over their time at Hogwarts, and how they had contributed to the war. They had decided to recount the order of events that had led to the present day. After this, they would discuss the pros to admission to the Order, and address the cons of the situation, and how to turn them to the Order's advantage. They would also lay out a plan of action for their future contributions (as outlined thus far); outside of duties that may be assigned by their fellows once admission was granted.

The Trio had been through their speaking points several times, and had come up with lists outlining strategy, based on what they felt students could do while in school, what needed to get done, and what fully fledged adults may not be able to do themselves. They had based their tactic on what they could do for the Order, but also realistically discussed what they would be doing if they were operating independently.

All they needed now was Dumbledore. After Harry's revelation last night, it was apparent that few people actually knew the Trio well. Even the most supportive Order members that they were acquainted with had seen them only in certain lights. They would have to strive to overcome misconceptions, and would have to work hard to avoid incorrect judgements of their own.

* * *

Dumbledore had Floo'd Severus the night prior, only to find his favourite Potion Master gulping back antidotes for hallucinogens and poisons. After chortling over Severus' discovery of Harry's startling realization, Dumbledore had a fair idea of the topics to be covered over tea.

He sat now with his students and a large pot of Earl Grey, listening to them discussing their strategies, making suggestions and pointing out where clarification would be needed. While it may be a lengthier approach, a recount of the efforts and struggles of the past six years would help give Order members an idea of who these teenagers were, as people, what they had endured and how they could assist in the war. The pros and cons list was a clever idea as well. It was always good to know your allies, and even to know their weaknesses. The fact that the three had already looked at how to turn the cons into pros emphasized that they had a good idea of how their membership may be treated, and that the wizards and witches of the Order should look to turn lemons to lemonade.

Dumbledore knew every active Order member, every informant and mole, every spy. He knew them as people, but also recognized their uses; like a grand chess master. This was his best way to help the Trio.

"There will be many at this meeting, many who have never come before. Some will have never met or even heard of each other, but they will most certainly have heard of you. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. It's a basic human trait to judge those that we meet: the worthy and the unworthy. I promise you, each member present has earned my trust and has made a difference in our world by playing their part in this war. Your job is to not make assumptions about them or their roles, and show them exactly why they should not make assumptions about _yours._ You need to show maturity, strength and integrity. You need to prove to them without a doubt, that you are _ready_ to take on the responsibility of membership, and that not only will you prove that you three are not liabilities, but that the advantage to us, and to our cause, is to have you stand with us, in the Order itself as assets."

"Last night, we were discussing unknown quantities. We had discussed that they don't know us, and we don't really know them. Outside of Ron's family, virtually every member of the Order that we have met, including you, sir, has been presented to us in very careful lights. Whether or not we see them through a function, like professor, Auror, Ministry official and so forth, or by their character is hard to say, because of the circumstances we have met in. So really, how do we prepare for that? How do we prepare to convince those who have absolutely no idea of who we are, beyond our hype?" Hermione asked the Headmaster.

"I strongly suggest you treat every person there as a virtual _tabula rasa_. You know that the general membership has little to no idea of who you are and what you have been through. Start from scratch. Introduce yourselves as if for the first time. Make no assumptions about _anyone._ Treat everyone fairly, equitably, and with respect. And make sure you give full descriptions of what you have been through, because even I don't know every detail. It can only help your case," Dumbledore explained.

Harry exchanged a quick look with his friends, before continuing the discussion, "While we will certainly take your information and suggestions to heart, there are other things we need to discuss with you."

"Such as?" Dumbledore queried.

"First, I want to say, for all three of us, that if for some reason, the Order does not vote in our favour, we have discussed and determined we will still do all we can, informally as well to assist them and you, sir. If they do not find in our favour, we are still going to keep our eyes and ears open at school, just as we always have. However, after our recent discussions, we have seen that our methods have not always worked in our favour. Running off without the full information or consulting with you has led to losses in the past. We don't want that to continue. In that vein, we have made some decision about how to proceed in our last year at the school, regardless of whether or not we are in the Order."

Hermione took over here. "We have developed a secret method of communication which should allow us to keep in touch, even when we have separate schedules. It should work better than our DA galleons, as well, since this method will allow us to pass more information amongst ourselves, more securely."

"This may be a very proactive way to show the Order your maturity, Miss Granger," Dumbledore stated.

"It's not for their knowledge, sir; this is private, between us now. You know, as well as we do that while the Order itself is trustworthy, that members are human and have their own fallibilities. We can't risk that, so this stays between us here, now."

With this reasoning given, the students proceeded to show the Headmaster their necklaces with the communication scrolls attached, along with how they worked. Dumbledore was delighted with their ingenuity.

"This is an excellent method of communication, and I think perhaps your caution is warranted."

"Since you approve, I have another suggestion," Harry added, before continuing, "It seems that in the past, when we were the most in need, we simply could not get backup urgently. What we should do is make a second charm, keyed to the four of us, only to be used when a true emergency occurs."

Dumbledore had a quiet moment of thought, his face becoming serious and sad all at once. "You can't know how I felt, those times when you were in need, and I came back, only to find you injured or suffering…when I was too late, and the damage was done. That helplessness and anguish has been repeated many times, not only with the three of you, but for every member of the Order under my care, and for my students who have been put in Tom's path."

Hermione, Ron and Harry looked at each other in turn. They knew what that feeling was like too, to see family and friends suffer in this war, and to feel helpless, without any way of contributing to make the war itself end and the suffering cease. They were left out because they were teenagers, and yet were still pulled into Voldemort's path again and again.

Dumbledore knew what they exchange of looks meant. He explained simply, "This has been a major factor toward why I am nominating you for membership now. I simply believe that leaving you out will do much more harm than good, and believe the three of you can make a difference. Now your job it to prove this to everyone else."

The quartet finished their tea and went through the speaking points for the meeting again. Hermione finished transfiguring a few more galleons, supplied by Dumbledore, into four more parchments disguised as Gryffindor lion necklace charms (which could be opened to reveal the charmed text). They had discussed what would be the most appropriate way to send for help, when Hermione suddenly caught on to the old Marconi code.

"Did you know, that until quite recently, the Morse and signal code for distress was designated SOS?" she asked.

"I remember that. They used it when the Titanic sunk, didn't they?" Harry responded.

"They did, alternating with another Marconi, CQD."

"Dad's rather fond of Muggle communication methods; he said that SOS was short for 'Save our Souls', or something?" Ron added.

"Not quite, Mister Weasley. Save our Souls, or Save our Ship were considered backronyms, they were used commonly after the SOS code was established to make it easier to remember. The SOS was commonly used, especially after the Titanic."

"My point was that SOS was a standard call for help, which means while we could remember it, so could other people. The reference for the Titanic incident may help you to remember the code I think we should use, which is the less common CQD. A backronym for you, Ron, would be 'Come, Quick, Danger' which I think, proves exactly why we should use it under duress," Hermione outlined.

"What will we use to clear the parchment?" Harry asked.

Hermione thought a moment. "How about, 'Safe and Sound'?" she suggested.

Dumbledore smiled at the imagery. "I like your optimism, Miss Granger."

Together, they made the adjustments to the pendants, and the Trio added the charms to their necklaces, while Dumbledore himself placed the lion on a long necklace, which rested just above his heart.

"Sentimentally, I'd like to think I would feel it, if the three of you were in dire straits again, but now I would, most surely." The Headmaster beamed at them each in turn, the sparkle having returned to his eye.

Hermione leaned over each person in turn, and cast a _Notice-Me-Not_ Charm on each necklace. "I'm told that discretion is the better part of valour," she said with a smile.

Ron cleared his throat, which brought the group's focus to him, and incidentally, his bright red ears. Harry and Hermione grinned at him, just a bit.

"Well, to get back on topic, the last thing that we discussed, aside from our communication, was how else we may help if the Order doesn't let us in. The three of us will definitely continue with training the DA. If the Order lets us in, we may turn over the main portion of planning to Ginny, if not, we'll maintain our places with both the research of spells, planning of subject matter and training of the students."

"I think that is a fine idea," the Headmaster stated.

"Well, since you are on our side with the DA, and it is named for you, why don't you have a look at this outline, sir?" Hermione asked, pushing a scroll toward the professor.

"As you can see, we have made sure that commonly used DADA spells are on the list. Some of these are not taught until later years, and some are not taught at all. We got some suggestions from Remus and Tonks on content that may give students an edge, if they were attacked. If we can collude with the Order, we'll ask all the Aurors and any DADA specialists to give us suggestions of the best protective measures we can teach to the students, and what they can use to escape harm's way as best as possible. On top of that, we're also aiming to give the DA members some spells to have on hand to duel Death Eaters if they have no other option. Not everyone has been as lucky as Harry with a simple _Expelliarmus_, and they're going to need more than that," Hermione explained, thoroughly and seriously.

"Perhaps that is something you can ask Severus about. He knows the other side quite well, and many of the spells that they favour. He may be able to teach you the counter-curses," Dumbledore suggested.

Hermione sighed. "I don't want him to think that we are encouraging the students to duel Death Eaters. We're not encouraging that at all. What we are saying, is that if you are confronted, and you cannot escape, you should have a solid magical base to fight them."

"I'm sure Severus would take that into account."

Harry gave Dumbledore a hard look. "I don't know if he would, sir. We're a bit notorious at misunderstanding each other's intent."

Dumbledore actually snorted a laugh at that remark. "Perhaps open with your intention, and then ask for his advice. And perhaps point out, that for once, you are asking for his advice. That may give him a moment's pause."

Ron decided to go back to the main topic. "Further, we're going to be keeping our eyes and ears out to look for student informants and sympathizers as well as children of the same. It was…brought to our attention that they may have even more information than active Death Eater's or _their_ children. We need to make sure we're listening to gossip for information about what is going on in those households, their missions and so on. And we need to start showing them that there is another path open to them."

"How exactly do you intend to do that?" the Headmaster questioned the Trio.

"Well, we're going to be using Harry's birthday present to get better acquainted with the Slytherin psyche, and see if that helps us relate better to that house, as well as possibly undermine any recruiting tactics they may be using on the other houses," Ron explained, a bit cheekily.

"We're also going to have to interact more with the other houses. We have two options: either open up DA membership more, or look at getting the current members to attend and try to solicit others to join the official school Duelling Club," Harry added.

"This is where your feedback as an administrator and an Order member is useful, sir. There are obviously pros and cons to either choice. But what it comes down to is that we could show to some students that we are trying to be inclusive by opening up the DA and offering to train all houses; but at the cost of perhaps allowing untrustworthy students access to what we are teaching, that may get back to Voldemort; or we can ask all proven trustworthy DA members to attend a secret session once or twice a week; and also openly attend and recruit other students to go to the Duelling Club. This has the advantage of getting more houses to potentially join in; while not tipping our full hand to Voldemort," Harry outlined each point succinctly.

Dumbledore thought to himself for a few minutes, and then replied, "I think that publicly you should attend the Duelling Club. It meets every other week, if I recall. I would suggest you have the DA members all attend, and in secret have those you trust also meet once a week for training; make sure you find yourselves a secure location. You'd be practicing more often than your DADA classes alone, you'd be interacting with more of the student body, and you would be more rigorously training those you know can be trusted with your secrets, all of which are bonuses. If you find more students who could be trusted in the DA, consult with myself, or Professors Snape or McGonagall and we'll discuss whether or not you should trust them with how you are training the students who may well end up before Tom and his followers in the future."

"We had agreed on that, but wanted your take before we continued, sir," Hermione said quietly. The Trio had indeed spent a good part of the night discussing the DA and the best manner to plan the defence of the students, if ever they needed it.

Dumbledore rose from his seat. "As interesting and productive as this has been, I think we will have to shelve other matters for later. The afternoon grows late, and the meeting will be held tonight."

The Trio began taking their leave from the professor. As he turned to the door, he added a comment over his shoulder, "Tonight's session marks a rare occasion for the Order. They rarely, if ever, gather in full. The location has been randomly selected and will be highly warded as well as Secret Kept until business is concluded. You three will be brought there before the wards are raised, while blindfolded. Don't misplace the faith we are putting in you."

He left them there to ponder his words and get their work together.

* * *

Hermione felt even more nauseous travelling by Portkey than she normally would, but that was to be expected when you travel in such a disorienting way, and you couldn't see a thing. She took sharp, deep breaths and clutched her carefully prepared notes all the tighter as she was whisked out of existence in one place in order to make a rather graceless landing in another. She heard two other bodies making contact with the earth: Harry and Ron, no doubt, followed by their accompanying grunts.

"Boys?" she called out tentatively, as she regained her footing.

"We're here, Mione," Ron answered, as he and Harry also got up from the floor.

"All three of you troublemakers have arrived safely, and you'll stay put until you are called into the meeting, and your blindfolds removed," a familiar sneering voice drawled.

"Great," Harry muttered to himself.

"So we're just going to stand here like statues, blindfolded…for some unknown length of time?" Ron inquired.

"Until someone comes to bring you before the assembly," Snape clarified.

Hermione shifted awkwardly, worried about losing her footing without her vision. One can't expect to feel too comfortable when magically blinded.

"Professor Snape, could you please sit us down somewhere? It may be some time before the wards are up and all the Order is gathered together."

A sigh. "I suppose."

The Trio were lead to what felt like a bench. Well, at least they were together, and their arms and legs weren't bound, just their faces with that bloody magical blindfold. Hermione tried to remain positive, and she decided to pass the time by mentally running through their speaking points. She heard Snape leave the room, and turned to what she thought was either Ron or Harry sitting beside her.

"Spend this time thinking about our topics. It's not just the wording; it's how we say all of it. The more confident we sound, and the more collected, the better it will go for us."

Behind his blindfold, Ron rolled his eyes. "You're going to make yourself even more nervous than you already are by going through it again and again. Let's spend a few moments thinking of pleasant things, it will relax us. I can't go through our plan over and over…it's like studying for the bloody OWLS all over again with you trying to ram more and more information into us and just getting us even more confused."

"Well Ronald, if you had a thorough grasp of the concept during OWLS there would have been no need for last minute lecturing and repetition now would there? In fact-"

"Ok, that's enough you two. Let's get back to the 'think happy thoughts' strategy." Harry suggested.

"Such as?" Hermione asked, archly.

"Hmmm...Did you have a good look at the book that the Hogwarts staff made for my birthday? Professor Dumbledore gave it to me, and he said all the teachers helped. It's amazing! It's full of history about the Potter family, and loaded with old pictures and newspaper articles and even things like journals and papers written by my family members."

"It was a wonderful gift, Harry. I had a quick look at our sleepover when you were showing it around," Hermione said, smiling.

"I've heard little bits and pieces of information about my parents on and off since I started at Hogwarts, but my birthday was the first time that people really talked freely about them, and this was the first day of my whole life where anyone mentioned my grandparents and great-grandparents and relatives. It was the best day I ever had," Harry said simply, beaming at his friends (although they couldn't see it at all).

They were all thinking fondly of Harry's birthday when their names were called, and McGonagall came to lead them into the meeting.

* * *

Everyone was here. Anyone she had ever considered to be an Order member, or who had shown sympathy to the Order or Dumbledore, was inside the meeting hall. Dumbledore had recruited as ruthlessly as he could, turning sympathizers to fighters or informants. It was clear that anyone who was fighting the good fight was located here in this meeting.

"Let me start by thanking you all so much for being here. I know that for many of you, this is the first time that you have come at my call. Things are going to be different from here on in. Tom has begun waging war in new ways over the spring and summer, and I have had to reach out and ask as many of you as possible to take a more active, and sometimes more physical role that you had originally intended. The time is drawing near when all of us must be out fighting: shoulder to shoulder, and wand to wand. I want each of you to carefully look around at our number, and mark each other's faces, because there will be a time soon, when you will need to know friend from foe."

"You've brought some serious trouble down on our heads by inviting _everyone_ into one place! What if there are informants? Spies? _Traitors_?" Moody asked this with a vindictive glare in Severus' direction.

"We are not meeting at our usual place, and that is to try to keep our last bastion of safety, safe and secret. But also, when every one of you agreed to come today, you entered into a binding magical agreement to not reveal the time, date or location of our meeting, and you have been bound in a way that will not allow you to reveal what goes on here, or who you saw, whether by choice or by force. I trust you all, but I have taken no chances today." Dumbledore radiated power in that moment, and every person in the room realized that the proceedings would be safe from divulgence.

"The general Order has many subjects to address tonight, but before I reveal any more of our workings, I put forth three new candidates for entry: Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger." Dumbledore's words brought down a maelstrom of comments.

"They're children!"

"Completely _ridiculous_ to involve untrained witches and wizards!"

"Absolutely not! No son of mine is even going to think about joining, especially before he is of age!"

"I know he's Harry Bloody Potter, but let's get serious..."

"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore's voice stopped all commentary immediately. "I have put forth their names for candidacy. Harry, as some of you may know, is my ward. He and Hermione are both of legal age. Ron has always operated with them. All three have proven their mettle before, and I would ask the general membership to let them put forth their case, before making a decision. After they have spoken their piece, you will all have a vote in the matter. I understand some of your hesitation, they _are_ still students, and cannot be considered for membership in the normal way most of our inductees were chosen. But this is war, and we may very well need these three. So please, let them speak, and you can ask your questions when they are done."

Pure silence followed the Headmaster's remarks. It was clear that some, like Molly, had to visibly restrain themselves from continuing, but the Headmaster's steely gaze silenced them quickly. Harry rose from his seat, which had been located in the shadows. Hermione stood up beside him, and gave his hand a quick squeeze. She then took Ron's hand with her other, and the three stepped as one toward the head of the Order of the Phoenix. He gave them a little smile of encouragement before he gestured toward their audience.

"They're all ears." His eyes had resumed their twinkle. Hermione was encouraged by that, if nothing else. Ron gulped, and tried to look anywhere but at his furious mother. Harry's palms were clammy. He had never been so nervous in his life, and that included the Triwizard Tournament.

"First of all, we'd like to introduce ourselves. I'm Harry and this is Ron and Hermione. We thought at length, about how best to proceed and talk to all of you in a way that shows that we're ready to join the Order, that we are prepared to fight in this war, and that for some time, we have already been involved. We know very few of you, and while you may have heard of one or all three of us, what is usually said in the papers or through gossip is grossly inaccurate, and we'd like to give you a chance to get to know us."

Harry seemed to take a quick, steadying breath, and then stood a little taller as he continued, "We thought the best way to start this, was to recap through what we have done so far in the war against Voldemort," Harry said, although some gasps were heard here, "so that you could know that we are not simply babes in the woods. We've fought already many times, often hand to hand or wand to wand, and we're asking to be treated like any other fighters. We would like to offer our service, such as it is, and receive the same amount of support, and have the same access to resources and our colleagues when necessary. Ron is going to start with a brief overview of our last six years." Harry turned around, and clamped his hand on Ron's shoulder in a gesture of support. "Go ahead, mate."

Ron cleared his throat nervously, and as Hermione had suggested, he focused on a friendly face in the crowd: Remus Lupin. He took a steadying breath, and began outlining the Trio's history...

"Harry, Hermione and I met originally on the train to Hogwarts, but we really solidified our friendship by fighting a troll that got into Hogwarts in the fall of our first year. We hadn't hit it off so well originally. Ron and I found out that there was a troll on the loose, and we went after Hermione, who was on her own. This was really the first time that we stood together as a single unit and fought to overcome an obstacle; in this case, a fully adult mountain troll. Back then, Harry and Hermione didn't really know much about Dark Wizards at all, let alone the none-too-recent war with You-Know-Who."

Hermione gave a small scowl at this last bit. Of course she _knew_, she read all about it! Ron caught her eye, and interpreted her look. "Ok, well Hermione may have had some background reading on the subject…but the two of them hadn't really lived with the same experiences as the rest of us; they didn't know when they came to Hogwarts that there were those who turned to the Dark, and who made it their missions to use that kind of magic against others in order to gain power."

"Back then, we were just kids, following clues when we started to realize that there were some strange things happening in the Wizarding world, and especially at Hogwarts. At first, it seemed almost like a game. We could follow clues, see what was really going on within the school… and yet as that first year passed it became more and more obvious that something sinister was going on. We first ran into Fluffy, that was Hagrid's Cerberus, trying to avoid Filch...um, anyway, Hermione realized then, that the dog was guarding something. Harry put together that if something wasn't safe at Gringott's it surely would be at Hogwarts, and we knew then for certain, that something was not right at the school. The staff started acting suspiciously, which of course, made us more suspicious ourselves. Harry eventually found the Mirror of Erised on the school grounds, Hermione found a reference to Nicholas Flammel, and after that horrid detention in the Forbidden Forest where Harry came across some _thing_ drinking the blood of a slain unicorn, we knew something evil was coming to Hogwarts for the Philosopher's Stone."

Gasps followed Ron's statement. While at the end of first year, the student body was aware of what had happened, many who did not have children at the time in school had no idea of what had been going on at Hogwarts. Everyone knew about the legendary Philosopher's Stones...but to think there had been one at the _school_...

"We found out exactly which day the Stone was going to be stolen, and we had no choice but to go after it. The teachers did not believe us, and Professor Dumbledore was gone from the school. We went on our own. We had figured out enough to get past the Cerberus, through the Devil's Snare and the key room, across the chessboard and to the purple flames and the logic-puzzle, as a team. There was a cost, and there were sacrifices to be made. I was injured, and there was only enough potion for one, Hermione was forced to leave Harry's side, so she immediately went back to get help,...and so Harry went to meet You-Know-Who for the first time, in front of the Mirror of Erised, alone. His blood protected him. The Philosopher's Stone was destroyed. You-Know-Who fled the school, still non-corporal. We were eleven years old."

Ron paused again, and looked from Lupin over to Harry, who gave him a tight smile. He collected his thoughts and continued, "The following summer, just before the term began, the three of us were in Diagon Alley with my family, when Lucius Malfoy planted a cursed diary amongst my sister Ginny's things. Through it, You-Know-Who possessed her, and had her open the Chamber of Secrets. When he wrote it, You-Know-Who was only sixteen, younger than Harry and Hermione are now. But he didn't stop at opening the Chamber, he used my sister to attack students, the way he had when he was at the school himself. Again, as a team, we gathered enough information to figure out what was going on, and again, when forced to take action, we got hurt along the way. Hermione was petrified, along with other students, by the giant basilisk that lived in the Chamber, and crawled through the pipes in the school to attack. I was hexed down in the Chamber, and Ginny nearly died from the possession by the book. Harry was attacked by a sixteen year old Tom Riddle, and was bitten by the basilisk."

"Why aren't you dead, boy?" Moody grunted at Harry.

"Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix, came to me, and his tears saved my life. I used the basilisk's fang on the diary, and the corporeal Tom Riddle vanished, freeing Ginny from his enchantment," Harry explained.

"You're lucky to be alive," Mrs. Figg gasped. She clearly had little idea what Harry was up to when away from Privet Drive and her watchful cats.

"Professor McGonagall tells me that a lot," Harry admitted, smiling at his Head of House.

"Sheer dumb luck!" Ron and Hermione said together.

Snape and some of the other dissenters seemed put-off by that remark, but a few others amongst the company seemed to relax by the little joke. Kingsley, Hagrid, Tonks, and a few of the Weasleys looked less apprehensive for sure, and they were amongst the Order members who, while friendly with the Trio, were amongst the most concerned.

Ron cleared his throat a little, signalling a return to the topic of what the Trio had been up to for the past few years. "Well, erm, as Harry explained, You-Know-Who's plans were foiled again, and his return was delayed, again. We went home for the summer, and felt relatively normal for a few weeks, until Harry was informed that Sirius Black was after him."

"Sirius Black! I read about him in _The Prophet_! Merlin's beard!" The comment came from the back of the room, from a face unfamiliar to Hermione.

Harry's face was like stone, and his voice was filled will a cold fury as he spat out, "Whatever you have heard about Sirius in the past was a pack of lies, designed by Voldemort and his accomplices. He was framed. He was never after me, and he certainly was not involved in my parents' murder. He was a good man, and my godfather. And if I ever hear a word against him, I'll draw wands with whoever was stupid enough to mention him within my hearing."

Harry actually stared down the room, broking no room for argument on this matter. Clearly enough had been said on this topic. Hermione took his hand and then looked over a Ron, signalling him to get back to his story.

"All along, the real threat was from another source: a mole hidden at Hogwarts, a Death Eater who had faked his own death and was now positioned to strike out whenever his master regained power. And we trusted him...it was the wizard, Peter Pettigrew, who disguised himself in his Animagus rat-form. All along, we had thought he was just a pet, passed down through my family, but he wasn't...he was a traitor."

"It was true to say that during the year there was heightened security at the castle. Sirius told us much later, that he had recognized Peter as a rat in a newspaper clipping, and had spent a good portion of that year trying to get to Hogwarts to eliminate him as a threat. Peter had hidden amongst my family as a pet for years, and was literally sleeping in the same room as Harry and I since we arrived at Hogwarts. He was perfectly poised to strike out if even a whisper was heard of You-Know-Who's return. Near the end of the year, we went to visit Hagrid, when his Hippogriff was set to be executed. We ended up in the Forbidden Forest, trying to hide from the Ministry employees that were sent, including Fudge, as there was a strict curfew being enforced. That was when Sirius, disguised also in Animagus form, found us. And we, unsuspectingly, still had no idea of what Peter was. Sirius attacked me, as a dog, to get to the rat. We didn't know...couldn't have known...not until later, after my leg had been broken, and I had been dragged into the Shrieking Shack."

"What we were not aware of at the time was that Remus Lupin was on his way to rescue us, still expecting that Sirius Black was a traitorous murder, and was trying to eliminate Harry. Harry and Hermione came after me in the Shack, and Sirius changed back to his natural form. He explained how he was not truly responsible for anyone's death. He explained everything, and we believed him, and were about to get proof, but unfortunately, we got side-tracked..."

"I'll say," Snape muttered, "You ungrateful wretches hexed me!" McGonagall had the gall to grin at him.

Ron, unhearing, continued, "While we were with Sirius and Professor Lupin, the truth came out that Sirius was no killer, that he had wrongly been imprisoned, and that Peter, called Wormtail, was responsible for the Potters' deaths, as he had sold them out to You-Know-Who. Pettigrew was a killer, but he had been posing as a pet for years in order to hide from both sides."

"Let us not forget, Mister Weasley, that if you had stayed in the school where you belonged, you would not have been endangered by a werewolf!" Snape's scowl was firmly in place, as he rubbed his elbow where a scar from that night still lingered.

"That's not true, sir. That year the caste's security was breached a few times. If we had stayed in the school that night, Sirius would have been captured. As he was framed for murder, his soul would have been sucked out by Dementors. Let's also not forget that Wormtail wouldn't have been exposed, and would have been poised in Hogwarts when his mater retuned!" Hermione retorted for her friends.

"We did work together again that night, and put almost everything to rights," Harry added in helpfully.

"After you had hexed me," Snape said again, louder this time.

"Sorry, Professor," the three muttered together. Snape continued to sulk. This walk down memory lane was not really helping his disposition.

Harry picked up the telling here, "After Ron was admitted to the Hospital Wing, Hermione and I used her time-turner to go back, and do the last few hours again. We saved Buckbeak – the Hippogriff – and Sirius from certain persecution and death."

"Miss Granger! That time-turner was meant for _school work_!" McGonagall was livid, well, nearly as livid as Severus, who was just now figuring out how he was cheated out of his Order of Merlin.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Maybe we can focus less on the means, and more on the ends, my dear Minerva?"

Lupin spoke up, although still in his mild tone, "Wormtail still escaped, and he returned to Voldemort, and helped him recreate his body."

Silence met this revelation. There were few who would speak up now, as everything that the Trio was saying were complete revelations to them. The general public never knew what Harry and his friends had been up to in school, and few amongst the known, fully-active Order members knew of events leading up to Voldemort's return.

"Things may have been different then, if we had the opportunities we have now. We tried to get help, but Professor Snape would not listen and Professor Dumbledore was dealing with the Ministry. We had to take matters into our own hands again. If we had had backup, we may have been able to signal for help once we got to the Hospital Wing. Things could have turned out differently. We did the best that we could at that time, with the resources that we had at hand." Ron had said this very simply, but his meaning was clear. It seems that he did actually have the ability to reason with a cool, calculating head at times.

Professor Snape was pissed. He came after those brats, and what thanks did he get? He got a triple-stunner! And a scar!

Hermione caught his look of exasperation. "I'm sorry that we stunned you, but you weren't listening to us. We knew that Sirius was innocent, and we knew that Lupin hadn't helped him, but you didn't want to hear any of us out! You would have handed a man over to his death, wrongfully. I think taking a stunner was really the lesser of those two evils, sir."

Snape gnashed his teeth together. Why didn't anyone else in the Order have to deal with these mutinous students?

"Continuing on to year four: the year of the Triwizard Tournament. The year when yet another Death Eater, this one disguised as Auror Moody, infiltrated the school, bent on kidnapping Harry for a blood ritual designed to return You-Know-Who to his body. Harry was tricked into the Tournament, and Hermione and I did our best to help him through it." Ron caught Harry's eye then. "Ok, ok, so I was jealous at first, but I got over it! We helped!"

"To be fair, the traitor did help you with the Tournament as well, Harry."

"Hermione, he was only giving hints because he wanted to kidnap me!"

"I'm just saying! He did give you that one hint to play to your strengths! And you pretty much won the task with the dragons..."

"OK! Noted! He was a _helpful_ psychopath!"

Hermione sighed. This little spat probably wasn't helping to prove that they were mature enough to join the Order. "Let's just move along, shall we?" she suggested, "Harry led the Tournament through the first task, which was to get past a Chinese Fireball, and tied for first with the second task, which was to go into the Hogwarts Lake and retrieve a hostage from the Merpeople. Even though he was the youngest contender, he was leading by the final task."

Harry picked up this thread of the discussion, as it had been he who had gone through this part of the Tournament alone. "When the champions were sent into the maze during the last Task, I overcame several magical creatures and traps. But at one point, I heard Fleur Delacour scream, I saw that Victor Krum had been _Imperiused_, and then finally, I met up with Cedric near the Cup. We fought through part of the maze together, and when we got to the end, to the Cup, we chose to take it together, as a shared victory for Hogwarts." Harry's voice was thick with emotion at this point, remembering how he and Cedric were poised to make Hogwarts history, and how it had gone wrong so quickly.

He caught Mister Diggory's eye in the meeting hall. "I told him to take it with me. I'm so sorry. I had no idea that it was a Portkey..."

Tears marked Diggory Senior's face, but he nodded his understanding. "He wanted to win, just as you did. Don't blame yourself." Absolution from a grieving father didn't really ease his guilt. Harry took a few breaths before he started to talk again.

"It took us to a graveyard. Wormtail was there, with this...thing. This thing that was Voldemort. Wormtail killed Cedric, on Voldemort's orders. He bound me... and he began the ritual."

"Cedric was murdered immediately, and then Voldemort returned and called his Death Eaters to him. And my blood, it was useless against him now."

Tonks interrupted him, "You said that once before, that your blood had power. What did you mean?"

"My mother sacrificed herself to save me. When Voldemort killed her, and turned his wand on me, her protection marked me. It destroyed what he was then, in body. At Hogwarts, before the Mirror of Erised, he couldn't physically touch me without causing unbearable pain to himself. It was what killed his host, Professor Quirrell, in my first year. When Wormtail took my blood by force and used it in the ritual, it nullified my mother's protection, because now that blood runs through Voldemort as well."

There were a few more gasps here.

"That's disgusting, mate," George added. Or, it could have been Fred.

"I know." Harry made a face as well. "After the Death Eaters arrived, Voldemort and I duelled. It was the strangest, mort terrifying fight I have ever been in. Our wands connected, and _Priori Incantatem_ occurred. The visions of his victims surrounded Voldemort, giving me enough time to make a run for it. I grabbed Cedric and the Portkey, and we travelled back to Hogwarts. I told Dumbledore that he was back...but was drawn away by Professor Moody. Or who I _thought_ was Moody. When we talked about what happened in the graveyard, the professor started behaving oddly. It was then that Professors Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall arrived, and we found out that it was Barty Crouch Junior who was the infiltrator at Hogwarts. Before we could prove his story, a Dementor kissed him. Fudge wouldn't listen to a word we said..."

He motioned for Hermione to take over the story now.

"That summer, the Order of the Phoenix was reformed, and the Ministry began its cover-up operation, under Fudge's influence. You all saw _The Prophet_ that year: it was basically a smear campaign against Harry and Professor Dumbledore. Things got even worse when Harry was attacked over the summer, by two Dementors. He fought them off and saved his cousin, but not before he was forced to use magic while underage, in public."

"Minister Fudge saw fit to set up a full criminal trial on this matter, and while Harry was cleared, the Minister also saw fit to make a few changes. Professor Dumbledore was asked to step down off of the Wizengamot, Dolores Umbridge was put into position at Hogwarts, and the new Educational Decrees began. If you or your children were not at Hogwarts, allow me to tell you, it was a nightmare. Instead of just worrying about Voldemort returning to power, we had to worry about a power-hungry Ministerial zealot within Hogwarts itself. If you are not acquainted with Madam Umbridge, allow me to tell you that aside from You-Know-Who, she has been the biggest threat to the school and the students themselves; she did not find it at all troublesome to physically torture students or use Unforgivables."

She paused, as gasps were heard again throughout the assembly. Well let them chew on _that_. Hogwarts was not a haven, and it hadn't been a walk in the park for the Trio that year. "Clearly, we were not going to take her brand of tyranny, along with her useless teaching methods, lying down. So Harry, Ron and I formed a practical Defence against the Dark Arts Club, ironically named 'Dumbledore's Army'. We had members from three houses, much as we would have liked to include _everyone_, we couldn't be sure of whom would keep their mouth shut in Slytherin."

Hermione took a peak at Snape as she said this. She did feel guilty over excluding the Slytherins. But they were simply too risky to let into Dumbledore's Army. She gave Snape a long look, and he shrugged in response. She supposed that he understood her logic.

"All the time that we were setting up the Defence Club, and suffering under Umbridge, we weren't told anything about what the other side was doing. Last we knew, Sirius had told us that You-Know-Who liked to operate in stealth, in secret, especially since the one person he didn't want in the know, Dumbledore, already knew he was back. Discrediting the Headmaster wasn't enough. Eventually, due to circumstances beyond anyone's control Professor Dumbledore was forced to leave Hogwarts."

"I'd like to see the man or woman who could make him leave!" Mrs. Longbottom rang out.

"He did it for me," Harry said quietly. "Some Slytherin students had gotten a hold of the list of Defence Club members. The Ministry wanted me out of school, Umbridge wanted me out of school...but Professor Dumbledore would not leave me unprotected like that. Our club's name...it was Dumbledore's Army...so Dumbledore let the Ministry think that it was his organisation."

"And you let him? I thought you were a Gryffindor!" came a sarcastic remark from the membership.

"That point is not in dispute. I took my leave, and would not hear a word from Harry against it," Dumbledore said, catching the eye of the speaker and giving them a cold look.

"We didn't know what was going on with the Order, with the outside world. Professor Dumbledore had spent most of the year avoiding Harry, and our contact with Professor Lupin and with Sirius didn't really tell us what was going on, what plans were unfolding..." Hermione said.

"Not even when my dad got bit by that bloody great snake of You-Know-Who!" Ron interjected angrily.

"Of course we didn't tell you what was going on, you were only fifteen!" Mrs. Weasley cried.

"Fat lot of help it did, since we still ended up getting caught in You-Know-Who's plans, eh Mum?" Ron actually had the cheek to throw back.

"Now you listen to me, Ronald Weasley, if you think—"

"Molly, that is enough for now. Ron, if you could finish with the events of that year? We're getting short on time, and need to proceed," McGonagall interrupted, knowing Molly was about to lose it during a meeting.

"You-Know-Who had been trying to get to Harry for months, trying to trick him. Eventually, he led us to believe that he had caught Sirius, and was holding him within the Department of Mysteries."

"Why on earth would he want Harry to come to the _Ministry_?" Arabella Figg asked.

"We didn't know then. We were still in the dark. Voldemort had learned that the person I cherished most, who I would do anything to rescue, was Sirius, and he lured me there. We left the school, after tricking Umbridge and her goon squad...and we took Thestrals to the Ministry of Magic."

"You three went _alone_?" Mister Diggory asked.

"We didn't have access to Dumbledore's whereabouts. Hagrid was removed from his position. We tried to tell Snape what had happened-"

"-_Professor _Snape_-_" Hermione, Dumbledore and Molly Weasley all corrected, simultaneously.

"-But we couldn't tell if he understood our message, if he would send help to Sirius. So we three went, along with Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood." Mrs. Longbottom looked pleased at this. Her grandson was living up to the family name at last!

"We got all the way to the Hall of Prophecy, where I had thought Sirius would be, but it was empty. We were alone...or so we thought. Then Death Eaters were all around us... Malfoy, the Lestranges, Doholov, Nott, Crabbe, Avery, Jugson, MacNair, Rookwood, and Mulciber...we duelled, but we were outnumbered, so we grabbed the prophecy and ran..."Harry explained, recalling the doubt that had risen in him at the empty room, and then the terror of black robed figures surrounding his friends.

"What prophecy?" the question could be heard around the room.

Harry looked at Dumbledore's white face and wide eyes. Then he glanced at Hermione, who nodded her head. Ron had expected that this question would come up, and they had planned the answer.

"Harry, I don't think-" Dumbledore began.

Harry cut his mentor off, "If the Death Eaters know, then why shouldn't the Order? It's not your choice anymore: _they should know_. If there is one thing I have learned these last few years, it's that keeping information from those who need it puts us all at risk!" Harry's face was cold as he turned away from the Headmaster, and looked at the group, and then began to recite:

'_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him... born as the seventh month dies...'_

All hell broke loose when Harry had finished speaking. Dumbledore had given Harry a look of surprise –he had clearly been expecting that his ward would tell the Order the whole prophecy. Harry returned Dumbledore's stare, his green eyes locking on the bright blue, as he thought with as much force as possible, '_Now they know enough, not everything, because that is too dangerous, but enough.'_ Harry maintained the eye contact as reiterated his thoughts a few times, making sure that this master Legilimens had understood his meaning. Dumbledore was the one who broke off eye contact.

'_Message received, then,' _Harry thought to himself.

A few of the Order members were trying to calm down the larger group. It took a little while to restore order...to the Order. Go figure.

Dumbledore had raised his arms for silence, before he addressed the meeting, "I know you have questions. Some people think that prophecies and Divination are for the gullible or the foolish. Be that as it may, the Seer in question actually spoke the prophecy to me, and I assure you, it was, it IS real. Tom himself, made it REAL by acting on it. We knew, in advance, that he would set out to destroy 'those who had thrice defied him', which is why the Potters were in hiding, years ago. Tom has known all along that Harry would be born with some ability, some kind of power that may allow us to defeat him for good. And every time that they have faced off, a baby or a boy against a full grown, extremely powerful wizard, Harry has prevailed, and Tom has been foiled. It is for this reason that I nominated Harry for Order membership. He has shown that the prophecy is true, and that he may be our last, best hope for winning this war."

"If we accept this prophecy, and I am not yet saying that I am ready to do so," McGonagall cut in, "what does that have to do with Miss Granger or Mister Weasley joining the Order? From what I know of the two, while they are very capable students, they weren't born with the power to vanquish a dark wizard!"

Hermione was rather upset at her professor. McGonagall could be very overprotective when it came to her Gryffindors. "Professor McGonagall...I don't think you understood what we have been talking about for the last ten minutes."

McGonagall bristled at this, "Oh, I understand that you have been risking yourselves, getting into situations that-"

Harry cut her off before she could really get rolling, "What Hermione means, Professor, is that you don't seem to understand how we _operate_. Ron, Hermione and I have no secrets from each other. We're a working unit: Ron's strategy and ability to cope in stressful situations, Hermione's intelligence and ability to find the resources that we need, and my...gift, I guess you could say, which is what makes us lucky, that is what has kept us alive. It's been like that since we fought that troll in first year. I could never do what I have done without them. _I need them._" Harry's eyes were like emerald chips, cold and yet brightly green. His voice had a quality to it which was rarely heard, full of power, full of prophecy. His gaze was compelling to all who met the challenge in his eyes.

"Let's try to talk this through rationally," McGonagall implored, staring at Dumbledore, hoping he may say anything that would keep the students at Hogwarts.

"Yes, let's...and please, for the love of MERLIN, try to remember that we are talking about pitting _teenagers_ against Death Eaters!" Moody spat, clearly not moved by the Trio's revelations.

"Thank you, Alastor! That is exactly why we have always had the rule about no students in the Order!" Molly agreed, nodding her head furiously; glad to see that _someone_ was trying to keep Ron out!

"Mum, you know that we aren't kids anymore-"

"I know no such thing Ronald Weasley, and if you think your father and I are going to sit back and watch you–" Molly interjected, her face reddening to match the family hair.

"Molly, be reasonable, if there is a _prophecy _involved..." Violet added, trying to help calm the Weasley matriarch.

"Oh Divination has always been bunkum and every self-respecting wizard or witch knows it..."

"Well, Sybil hasn't always been the best example of the practice," McGonagall offered magnanimously.

"Minerva!" Dumbledore hissed, "You aren't helping!"

"Alright, let's try to voice what the major concerns are here;" Remus proposed rationally, "Of course, we all have concerns about Ron, Hermione, and Harry's safety. That is a given. There are some amongst us who believe that the best path for them and for the Order is to keep students from fighting in this war, at least until they are of age and have graduated."

A few "hear, hears" were heard in response to Remus' statement, along with a few nods of approval across the room.

"However, we also have some amongst us who have seen these three students in action; who have seen them think and fight their ways out of situations that would have left many of us captured or dead. We should give credit where credit is due, and acknowledge that they have already done quite a bit in this war. If it hadn't been for them, the Ministry may still be turning a blind eye to You-Know-Who's return, and slandering both the Headmaster and Harry, and undermining all of our efforts to keep the mass public informed of the danger that they are in, and taking steps to protect themselves."

"It's about bloody time we got some accolades for letting _that_ kneazle out of the bag," Ron muttered to Hermione and Harry.

"And then we have the new information about the prophecy, and what it could mean in this war, and that needs to be considered as well."

"To be fair, Remus, the prophecy is pretty old news..." George joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Alright, what we need to address here is what the main concerns and opinions are at this time, aside from what Remus has so succinctly summarized for us. A show of hands, if you need to speak, if you please?" Dumbledore asked, calmly. He motioned for Tonks to go ahead.

"I've seen the three of you fight, so I'm not concerned about that, especially as you'll be under orders same as the rest of us," she started, giving the Trio a quick wink in support. "What I _do_ wonder, is how exactly you can help the Order when you are in school? I mean, it's not like you can feed us information from your highly-placed Ministry jobs, or give us tips of goings-on in Knockturn or Diagon Alley, and it's not even like you can go and help out at raids. So really, it's more of a situation of how can you help us?" Tonks' hair had turned an indigo colour as she spoke, and a faint blush was on her cheeks. She tripped as she moved to sit down, which gave the Trio a chance to look at each other and give Hermione the nod to address the question.

"Aside from any responsibilities that the Headmaster may assign us, there are other things going on at the school. We were fortunate to be at school in the past, as it gave us the chance to foil You-Know-Who's plans regarding the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets and the Triwizard Tournament. As you now know, two years ago, when Dolores Umbridge joined the Hogwarts staff...I can't call what she did _teaching_...well the point is, we did start an underground Defence group. And we are still involved in the DA. The three of us have done research on charms, spells, hexes, and we have taught other students these things. In spite of the fact that we were taught fourth year by an imposter, he did successfully teach us Auror Moody's approach of 'constant vigilance!' We've spent our free time training up as best as we could on our own, and have tried to pass those skills onto other students so that they can defend themselves and prepare to fight in this war when they have no other choice."

"I think that since we have tried to recap our time at Hogwarts as much as we can, it's the time to point out the pros and cons of this situation. First, we would be informed of what You-Know-Who was up to, instead of guessing. This means we don't have to patch together a last minute plan of action, and ideally, we wouldn't fall into the same traps that we have in the past. We would have Order resources and backup, when it was necessary to take action. Secondly, as Tonks pointed out, we would be working under Order directives. This means we could communicate with Order before taking action, we will be bound to follow Dumbledore's orders as well as Order protocol and procedures and we would have Order members' experience and opinions, as well as resources when needed."

"I'd love to see the three of you follow rules, for a change," Snape muttered, before McGonagall elbowed him sharply.

"As the only members of the Order at school, we may be able to attain information that others cannot while also keeping track of students affiliated with the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who."

Ron gave a small cough, indicating that he had something to add. Hermione turned the floor over to him. "You would be surprised how well...informed...some of the other students are. I hate to say it, but there are a lot of Death Eater families in Slytherin, and the parents do pass information onto their children without them realizing really what it can all add up to. Some of these offhanded remarks have led us to foiling You-Know-Who's plans. _And_ we're lead to believe children of informants are in many other houses as well. Having eyes and ears at Hogwarts in the student body isn't a drawback, it's an _asset_." Ron's eyes met his mother's. He was pleading wither her to understand why he and his friends had to take this step, and finally join the Order.

Hermione decided to continue to outline the pros of their situation, "I know some of you have never openly fought Death Eaters or You-Know-Who. I know you're concerned for our safety. But you need to recognize that young as we are, we have experience fighting both, and that's a huge asset too. Time and time again, because we are young and because we are students, we're not seen as a threat. That day at the Ministry, the Death Eaters couldn't believe that we would actually fight them off; they couldn't believe we weren't running away and screaming in fear, and that gave us a huge advantage. Something that should firmly be a drawback is in fact an asset. They were massively outnumbered, and in the end, we left with the Prophecy, You-Know-Who was exposed, and many prominent Death Eaters were jailed."

"You were damn lucky that day!"

Hermione's voice was much quieter when she replied, "We were indeed. A clever trap was laid for us, and we walked right into it. We lost Sirius Black that day, the Order came and rescued us, and here we are today, still ready to fight."

"What exactly happened? This all seems very fishy to me," a man in a pinstripe suit with steel grey hair asked.

"This touches on a few other points we had to make, so I'll try to be clear here. One of our advantages is my connection to Voldemort. My blood may not be potent anymore, but we are mentally linked together. Now, when he touches me, I feel pain. Somehow, when we're feeling extreme emotions, like rage, sadness, glee, we can feel each other."

"That can't be an asset," the grey-haired man commented, a look of disgust on his face. He'd hate to have that psychopath crawling around his brain.

"It can be both, actually. When he is insanely angry, the pain is incredible. You may have read a Skeeter article talking about a mental breakdown I had in class. It was completely ridiculous, but I did have a moment in class where I passed out from the pain."

"That's a liability, boy."

Surprisingly, it was Arthur Weasley who spoke next, "Don't be so hasty. Because of this mental link, Harry saw You-Know-Who possess that great snake of his, and attack me in the Department of Mysteries a year and a half ago. If Harry hadn't had that vision, I'd be dead, and we would not have been sure that he was trying to break into the Hall of Prophecy."

There were some more murmurs within the crowd. When they started to die down, Harry continued, "That day at the Ministry is really the best example we can discuss about why we're ready to be members. I'll explain how things actually went, and how they may have gone if we were already members."

"Looking to place blame, boy? After we saved you arse?" Moody shot.

Harry gave his own steely glare, "I take full responsibility for what happened that day. I'm using it as a reference in this discussion, not looking to shift blame to anyone else. And to be frank, Mr. Moody, we have no intention of casting aside responsibility for our actions on anyone else. We're here to discuss what has happened, and how we can learn from that and apply that knowledge to the future."

Harry shot a look at Ron and Hermione, who gave him a distinct 'get on with it' gesture. "As I was saying, that day, I was in the middle of writing my OWL exam for History of Magic, and I don't know how to describe it, I feel into, almost like trance? I had seen the beginning of this dream I had again and again, which turned out to be a path through the Ministry of Magic into the Department of Mysteries and into the Hall of Prophecy, further than I had ever seen before. This vision was different, I saw Voldemort, and he had Sirius, and he was torturing him. I could not bear it; I woke, screaming in the middle of the exam room."

"We didn't know who to turn to. Professor Dumbledore was no longer Headmaster, Professor McGonagall had been stunned, and Hagrid had disappeared into the woods. We tried to contact Headquarters, and were told by Kreacher that Sirius was gone. We were caught using the Floo connection, and were being held by Umbridge. We tried to tell Professor Snape what had happened, but we couldn't tell if he understood, not without revealing everything to Umbridge. She threatened us with _Crucio_, until Hermione thought of how to trick her."

Hermione gave a ghost of a smile at the memory, "We told her that we were trying to contact Professor Dumbledore to tell him we had finished building a weapon in the Forest. We promised to show it to her. She went into the Forest with us, and we were attacked by centaurs, which carried her away. From there, we took Thestrals to the Ministry."

Harry picked up the story from there, "We followed the same path I had seen in my vision, but when we arrived in the Hall of Prophecy, it was empty. We were confused, but Ron noticed an orb with my name on it, mine along with 'The Dark Lord'. It was the prophecy. As soon as I touched it, we were surrounded by Death Eaters. We fought; eventually the Order arrived as well. We seemed to be winning, and suddenly, Sirius was in front of the Veil, and Bellatrix Lestrange hexed him-"

Harry was struggling with his words, this was worse even, then the sight of Cedric's death. It was Harry's worst memory. "-He fell, he fell backwards, laughing at her to do better, not realising the Veil was behind him, and then he was gone. I just...lost it. I ran after her, I confronted her. She mocked me, mocked Sirius. She demanded the prophecy, but it was gone, smashed while I helped Neville. My scar seared with pain, and I knew that Voldemort knew...and suddenly he was there with me and Bellatrix, he aimed another Killing Curse at me, but Professor Dumbledore arrived. They duelled, and Voldemort possessed me, hoping to get the Headmaster to kill me in order to destroy him. It was like my first year again, with the pain of Quirrell touching me, but worse. Yet Voldemort couldn't bear it, he couldn't be inside me. He fled."

There was silence again throughout the room. Dumbledore's eyes blazed with pride.

Harry decided to strike while the iron was hot. "This connection is an advantage, just like all the others we mentioned. The disadvantages you are all thinking of, our ages, our positions as students, that we have been reckless and acted rashly in the past, our reputations and public personas, these can all be turned in our favour. We're constantly underestimated, we've always pulled through by working together, and we get access to information that you don't. Isn't it worth bringing us in? Don't these pros clearly outweigh the cons?"

"How things unravelled that day was more toward the end of a worst-case scenario. From what we have learned, let's look at if something similar happened now, and we were Order members, the best-case scenario. First off, we would have known what Voldemort was after, and would never have fallen into that trap. Second of all, we would have been able to communicate clearly with Order members and verified if what I saw was true. Thirdly, if we verified that a member was missing, we could call for help and set up a solid plan of action instead of having to run into danger alone. Ideally, we would have been prepared to go to the Ministry together, check the situation, and get out before Death Eaters could arrive. If not, we would have had the training and the support to leave with minimal casualties."

The membership looked uneasy. Some people began muttering to themselves. Others could not hold in their questions or concerns.

"Harry, I'm not saying that we haven't heard what you, Ron and Hermione have been saying for the last quarter hour, but you have to realize where we are also! The Order is taking on Death Eaters that are fighting with more cunning and Darker Arts every time we meet. It's never been as dangerous as it is now. While on the one hand, I want everyone capable wand out there, on the other hand, I want to do for you what I wish I could have done for my own son. If my 'no' vote means keeping you out of harm's way for as long as possible, than that is how I shall vote tonight." Amos Diggory's eyes pleaded with Harry to understand. Molly buried her head into her husband's shoulder as she listened to Diggory's opinion.

Harry rubbed his face with his hands, trying to dispel the image of Cedric being killed at the graveyard. "I blame myself that he was put in Voldemort's path, I truly do. But how many other wizards could have been kidnapped, brought before Voldemort and his Inner Circle, and lived long enough to bring home his body and tell the tale? That wasn't _luck_, it was the prophecy!"

"Excuse me, but I don't recall the prophecy saying anything about you meeting again and again and escaping all the time," Snape shot at Harry, finally starting to speak up on this topic.

"No, it didn't, now did it? But maybe you would like me to repeat the first sentence again? _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. _Now to me, vanquish seems to imply that I am going to kick his slimy arse!" Harry retorted hotly.

"You're naive enough to think it would be that easy, aren't you? Do you think that you are going to be able to just waltz up to the Dark Lord and wish him to his unhappy demise? When the time comes, you are going to have to fight your way to him, and all the while, it will be your friends and your allies who have to pay the ultimate cost to get you there! So don't be so juvenile to think that these people don't have the right to try to keep you away from the war until you have grown and been properly trained to fight in this war! It's their lives you risk as well, you ignorant fool!" Severus hissed, the temperature in the room dropping a few degrees, as everyone visualized the scene he painted with his words.

"Professor Snape! You know that isn' what Harry meant! He doesn' _want_ to risk anybody! Surely you aren' suggesting that Harry would just–" Hagrid babbled, upset that anyone would suggest that Harry could be responsible for anyone's death.

Snape cut him off, "You oaf! Don't you see that at some point, it will be necessary? Do you really expect that the Death Eaters are just going to throw down their wands and neatly stroll off to Azkaban without a fuss? This is war!"

"He's right."

Silence followed Ron's statement.

"What do you mean, Ron?" Fred asked gently.

"You all have to see that we're going to lose people. That's war. And in this way, it is just like chess. You have to make sacrifices in order to win. Sometimes you have to let the rook or the queen or the pawns be taken, in order to take down the king in the end. I'm not saying that this is a game, far from it, but I am saying that we have to strategize, we have to think in the long-term as well," Ron stopped speaking and turned from Snape to face Harry, "I'd follow you anywhere. You know I would. But I want to make this clear as well, _if it comes down to it, I would sacrifice myself to help you win_. I believe in you, and in the prophecy, that much. So you do whatever it takes, and I'll do what I must, so that in the end, we win."

Hermione slipped her hands into one each of her friends. "That goes for me too," she said, with a watery smile, as she looked at them both.

"Let's hope it never comes to that," Dumbledore said, giving Ron a gentle clap on the back.

"Any more concerns or questions?" he asked. When no one raised a hand or made a comment, Dumbledore said, "Then let's take a vote."

* * *

_Author's notes:_

_It's been nearly a year since I last posted, and it's been about 9 months since I wrote this chapter. I apologize that I have been so slow. I sincerely wish to finish this story. It's a WIP for sure, and is not in the least bit abandoned, no matter how slow my updates are. I'd like to thank you all for your patience and reviews, and thank wellyuthink for herwonderful beta work and insightful comments._

_I know part way through this chapter there was a bit on Marconi code, so I thought I would take a minute to give you a brief blurb from Wikipedia:_

.org/wiki/CQD

"**CQD**, transmitted in Morse code as ** — · — · — — · — — · · ** is one of the first distress signals adopted for radio use. It was announced on January 7, 1904, by "Circular 57" of the Marconi International Marine Communication Company, and became effective, for Marconi installations, beginning February 1, 1904.

Land telegraphs had traditionally used "CQ" to identify messages of interest to all stations along a telegraph line, and CQ had also been adopted as a "general call" for maritime radio use. However, in landline usage there was no general emergency signal, so the Marconi company added a "D" to CQ in order to create its distress call. Thus, "CQD" is understood by wireless operators to mean, "All stations: distress." Contrary to popular belief, CQD does not stand for "Come Quick, Danger", "Come Quickly Distress", or "Come Quick - Drowning!"; these are backronyms.

Although used worldwide by Marconi operators, CQD was never adopted as an international standard since it could be mistaken for a general call "CQ" if the reception was poor. At the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention, held in Berlin in 1906, Germany's _Notzeichen_ distress signal of three-dots/three-dashes/three-dots (**· · · — — — · · · **) was adopted as the international Morse code distress signal."


End file.
